Scores of students of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, on Monday, gave the state government a 72-hour ultimatum to ensure the release of their colleague, Olayinka Toyinbo, who was kidnapped in the Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The students, who staged a protest at the state secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Abeokuta, carried placards with various inscriptions such as: ‘Free our students now’ and ‘I am a student not a prey to kidnappers’, among others.
Addressing journalists during the protest, the President, Students’ Union Government, FUNAAB, Michael Oloyede, threatened to disrupt activities if their colleague was not released before the expiration of the ultimatum.
Oloyede appealed to the state government to ensure the speedy rescue of the abducted student.
He called on both the federal and state governments to do more in the area of security of lives and property of students.
He said the government should provide necessary facilities for security agencies to make their job easier.
Oloyede stated, “Our demands are not too much and are very simple. The first is about the student, Nathaniel Olayinka Toyinbo, who was kidnapped two days ago; he should be released between now and Wednesday, May 26; that is, 72 hours.
“And secondly, we urge the state government to provide the necessary equipment and facilities that will help our security agencies in our state and the country. That is when we can sleep and have peace of mind; we can only have this if there is proper security in the state.
“We are tired of being slaves in our motherland; we are tired of being slaves in our own country.
“We give the state government and the Federal Government 72-hour ultimatum for the release of the student and if they refuse to do the needful, they will regret their actions and we will not hesitate in our own capacity to agitate for his release.
“We also urge them to provide all necessary facilities to the security agencies in the state.”
Also speaking, the state Chairman, National Association of Nigerian Students, Damilola Simeon, urged the government to provide security agencies with drones and other equipment to aid their job.
Simeon appealed to the necessary authorities to put machinery in place to ensure immediate rescue of Toyinbo.
Toyinbo, a 400-level student of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management of the institution was kidnapped on Saturday by suspected gunmen.
The student was reportedly abducted around 8am from a private farm in Abule Itoko, Odeda Local Government Area of the state, about 25 minutes drive from the institution.
A friend of the abducted student, who claimed to have witnessed the scene, said Toyinbo was kidnapped by gunmen from a private farm, where he had been living and working as a livestock farmer for the past three years.
Other sources said two other persons, the owner of the farm and a 17-year-old Togolese lady, were kidnapped alongside the student.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident, saying the command was working tirelessly to ensure the safe rescue of the victims.
