After 12 days in captivity, the kidnappers who abducted five female students and three members of staff of the Nigerian Tulip International College (NTIC) in Ogun State, tuesday finally released them into the waiting hands of their respective families.
THISDAY gathered that all the victims were freed at about 8.30p.m. and dropped off behind the school premises.
Although details of their release were sketchy as at 9:20p.m. when the news broke of their release, the victims were said to have been first taken to the hospital under heavy police protection.
While a version claimed that the kidnappers released the victims to the management and representatives of the parents, another account indicated that security forces found the tired victims wandering in the forest behind the school premises.
A source who spoke on account of anonymity, said the kidnappers succumbed to the massive pressure mounted on them following the deployment of Aerial Patrol Helicopters and Tactical forces by the Inspector General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris.
According to the source, the kidnappers knew that their members in police custody had sold them out by giving away their identities and those of their parents, hence, they freed the captives.
He said: “They have been freed. They were released around 8.30p.m. when security operatives were already combing the area.
“They heard strange movements and when they got there, they saw the victims. They looked tired. They are with us and we have contacted their families.
“They would be taken to the hospital once their relatives arrive. I think the kidnappers knew that security forces already knew their identities. Their covers have been blown.
“We now know their names and even their parents. The pressure on them was too much. Now that we have the victims, the next thing is to capture the culprits.”
Confirming their release, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone II, Kayode Aderanti, said they were in Ogun State.
He promised that the culprits would be fished out and brought to justice.