Ekiti Teachers Contribute N500 To Pay Ransom For Kidnapped Colleague

Teachers in Ekiti State have started contributing N500 each to pay the ransom demanded by kidnappers for their colleague simply identified as Mrs Owoniyi. Owoniyi, a teacher in St. Pauls Primary School, Ikole Ekiti, was kidnapped along Ayobode-Ekiti Road. Information revealed that the teacher was abducted along with other commuters on Sunday, and the kidnappers had demanded N50 million ransom. The request for support to raise the ransom was said to have been posted on a WhatsApp platform with teachers in Ikole as members. But, when contacted, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Ekiti State, Mr Oke Emmanuel, said the decision to contribute the money was made by some of the colleagues of the victim and not the union. While confirming the report of the kidnapping, Emmanuel said the chairperson of Ikole branch of NUT, Mrs L. O. Longe, told him the kidnappers were demanding N50 million ransom. However, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Ekiti, ASP Sunday Abutu, in a telephone conversation said the command had not received the report.