Panic gripped the community of Iperu in the Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State as parents and guardians rushed to schools to retrieve their children amid fears of kidnappings.
Iperu, being the hometown of Governor Dapo Abiodun, heightened concerns among residents.
Parents, alarmed by reports of armed individuals allegedly invading Akesan Community Grammar School in Iperu with the intent to abduct five children, swiftly mobilized to collect their wards.
Expressing their anxieties, one parent shared with our correspondent, “We received alarming news of gunmen reportedly seizing five children in Akesan. We must retrieve our own.”
Our correspondent observed a flurry of parents utilizing bikes to swiftly transport their children home from various schools in Iperu.
During a visit to one of the schools on Tuesday, the presence of police officers within the premises was notable, deployed in response to the kidnapping rumors. Additionally, local youth leaders were present to oversee the situation.
However, Mrs. A. O. Yusuf, the Principal of Akesan Community Grammar School, assured our correspondent that no kidnapping incident had occurred within the school premises.
The Principal recounted an incident where a distressed woman arrived at the school, tearfully seeking reassurance about the safety of her grandchild.
“When the woman tearfully approached us, expressing her concern for her grandchild’s safety, we promptly located the child and even provided her with some financial assistance,” she explained.
“We were unaware of the rumors circulating in Iperu about the alleged kidnapping of our students. Before we could comprehend the situation, parents began arriving to retrieve their children,” Mrs. Yusuf continued. “Despite my efforts to dissuade them and even requesting them to sign before taking their children, they remained resolute. Some parents insisted that their children would not return until the school premises were fenced.”
“There have been no incidents of kidnapping within our school premises. We are safe here. However, recent kidnapping incidents in the vicinity of Iperu have understandably heightened fears. Despite our reassurances, parents have chosen to take their children home,” she emphasized.
Recent events include the tragic invasion of Ajadeh Event Centre in Iperu Remo along Sagamu road three weeks ago, where eight gunmen attacked, resulting in the death of a lecturer from Babcock University Ilisan Remo, Yinka Olowojobi, and the abduction of two others.
Additionally, gunmen, reportedly armed with AK-47 rifles, ambushed travelers along the Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode Expressway, resulting in the death of one person and the abduction of seven others. The attack occurred between the Ilisan, Ceplast industry, and Iperu junction axis of the highway.
