Pandemonium broke out recently in Malete, Moro LGA of Kwara State as suspected ritualists reportedly abducted no fewer than 13 persons including a female student of Kwara State University.
A student of the Kwara State University in the Malete area of Ilorin identified as Dorcas Olanrewaju, who was kidnapped by suspected ritual killers on Thursday, has been freed.
According to PUNCH, Olanrewaju who was released at Omu-Aran by her captors on Friday 24-hours after she was kidnapped on her way to the campus said that out of 13 of them in the kidnappers’ den, six were killed.
While narrating her ordeal in the hands of kidnappers, the year two Mass Communication student said she left her residence outside the campus and boarded one of the campus shuttles.
She had an examination to take on campus but while on the way, she noticed that she was driven to an unknown destination. Sensing that she was in danger, she quickly sent a text message to one of her friends to inform her that she had been abducted by some unidentified persons suspected to be ritual killers.
She said, “While I was in the vehicle, a female passenger complained of cold, so the windows were closed. I lost consciousness thereafter. I later found myself among some people in a bush at night.
“We were about 13 in the bush but the kidnappers later took six victims away. We realised they had killed them when the kidnappers put seven of us in the vehicle again and the rest were nowhere to be found.
“They told us that they were heading to Ekiti State. I was kept inside the boot of the vehicle. When we got to Offa, they asked where I was from and I told them I was from Omu Aran. At Omu Aran, the vehicle was overheating. They then set me free. Unknown to them, it was in front of my father’s house.”
The Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, Ajayi Okasanmi, said the command had commenced an investigation into the abduction.
He said that the police were on the trail of the perpetrators, adding that the report had been circulated to police formations within and outside the state to ensure the arrest of the perpetrators.
The statement said, “The university learnt that she sent a distress call through her mobile phone indicating that she could not identify the location at which she had been dropped.
“Immediately they were alerted, officials of the KWASU Safety Unit swung into action by contacting the security operatives and telecommunication agencies to track the phone.
“The victim was picked up by the police. Officials of KWASU Safety Unit and her parents were later invited to the Omu-Aran Police Station.”
At the moment, the identity of the vehicle involved in the kidnap incident and its driver are not yet known. But Aliaga assured that the security agencies would track the perpetrators down.
He said, “Following the incident, security has been beefed up around Malete and the campus. Armed police patrol has been deployed on the route and regular check of vehicles has intensified since yesterday.
“Management wishes to urge students to be security-conscious, to patronise only registered transport and to report strange persons or movements around their hostels and campus.”
