Gunmen kidnapped three people on a farm at Oke Oge in the Oba Ile community, Akure North Local Government Area, on Saturday evening.
The identities of the victims were not yet confirmed at the time of filing this report, but sources say they included a farm manager and two people thought to be students undergoing industrial training.
The management of the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Ondo State, has denied claims that two of the victims were students of the institution, calling the reports false and misleading. The kidnappers allegedly contacted the victims’ families and demanded a ransom of N15 million.
However, Mr. Olufemi Owolabi, the college’s registrar, emphasized in a statement released on Monday that the persons in question were no longer students of the institution because they had graduated.
He emphasized that the ransom demand was not FECA’s responsibility. “We categorically state that the victims are graduates of the institution who have successfully completed their National Diploma programs and are currently undergoing their mandatory one-year Industrial Training,” the statement said, in contrast to deceptive headlines that implied the victims were current FECA students.
“While FECA sympathises with the victims and their families during this difficult time, it is crucial to emphasise that they are no longer students of the college.
“After graduation, industrial training is an external program that is conducted outside the institution’s direct academic or administrative purview. Therefore, the college cannot be held accountable for their untimely kidnapping.
“We encourage the appropriate authorities to step up rescue efforts and applaud the efforts of security agencies, especially the Ondo State Security Network (Amotekun Corps), in working towards their safe release.”
In order to avoid spreading false information, the organization also urged the public and media to double-check information before sharing it.
The statement went on to say: “The management emphasizes that stories implying that the college is being held accountable for ransom demands are completely false.
False or deceptive news have the potential to skew the situation’s reality and cause needless fear. “We want to reassure students, teachers, parents, and guardians that there is tranquility on campus.
All academic and administrative operations continue uninterrupted, and the college continues to be a safe and secure place to learn.
Mrs. Funmilayo Odunlami, the state police public relations officer, said that security personnel had begun searching for the victims and sending policemen into the forests to ensure their release.
“Our men from the anti-kidnapping squad have been deployed to the area to rescue all the victims,” the PPRO stated.