Emerging reports suggests that the vice principal, a teacher and 2 students of Government Model College at the Igbonla area of Epe have been released from the den of those who kidnapped them.
An 11-man gang had last week stormed Government Model College at the Igbonla area of Epe and abducted two students, their vice principal and a teacher .
The release came following the expiration of the 24 hours ultimatum given by the kidnappers of two students, the vice principal and a teacher from the secondary school located in Epe, Lagos.
According to This Day, the victims were released at about 10.30pm in yet to be ascertained circumstances.
Although it was yet to be confirmed, it was gathered that the family of one abducted student who was sick, had paid N1 million ransom as requested by the kidnappers. It was also gathered that the other families did not pay a dime.
The police has confirmed the release, but are yet to make a formal statement. Meanwhile, to beef up security at the community level, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos state on Tuesday said no fewer than 5,000 men and women would be recruited to Neighbourhood Watch – the state grass roots security outfit.
Ambode, who spoke at the ‘2016 3rd Quarter Town Hall Meeting’ of his administration at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, added that the new recruits would earn at least N25,000 monthly, apart from other allowances. He said the Neighbourhood Safety Agency Bill which he signed into law on August 15, 2016, was part of efforts to institutionalize and deepen community policing in the state.
“There is a law that has just been passed which is the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps Law, 2016. We will make sure that this agency is activated and our neighbourhoods are secured. We will provide NW with all the necessary equipment and resources to ensure that we establish what we call community policing and that is the way to go.
“We will rebrand and re-equip the NW to the level that each NW officer in all the local government areas will have their vehicles and necessary equipment to complement security. We are working on employing additional 5,000 NW officers and they will be paid by us, while the basic salary for the entrance level will be N25, 000 per month,” the governor said.
According to The Punch, Ambode said the government would begin the disbursement of N25bn Employment Trust Fund (ETF) to beneficiaries by next week.
Ambode added that the N500m Lagos State Persons Living with Disability Fund was also ready for beneficiaries. The governor explained that the ETF and the disability funds were to assist youths, artisans and the needy to become self-reliant. He said: “We will roll out all our empowerment programmes to assist our youths, artisans and the needy. The funds have been provided and the beneficiaries will start getting support from this quarter.”
Ambode disclosed that the state’s budget performance from January to September was 69 per cent as against 65 per cent for the same period in 2015. He said a total of N166.8bn had been spent on capital projects in 2016, which he said was more than the N53.6bn spent for the same period in 2015. He expressed optimism that despite the recession, the state's economy would remain on sound footing if capital expenditure spending was increased.
“In this quarter, we will concentrate more resources on capital projects. We will put money in the hands of our local contractors and through them, stimulate the economy. Immediate payments will be made to contractors handling health and education sectors projects within the next two weeks,” Ambode added.
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