TWO teenage seminarians abducted from the Catholic Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary School in Ivianokpodi, Agenebode, Edo State, have pleaded for help as their captors threaten to kill them.
The incident occurred on July 10, when gunmen stormed the school, killing a civil defence officer on duty and kidnapping three students.
While one victim was later released, the remaining two have been held in captivity for over a month.
Following the attack, Edo State Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, ordered the deployment of tactical teams to track down the perpetrators and secure the students’ release.
He vowed that security operatives would not relent until the culprits were apprehended.
However, in a disturbing video reportedly released by the kidnappers, the seminarians—surrounded by masked, armed men and holding dried human skulls—begged their parents and the public to raise ransom money.
“They kill people here. Our abductors have threatened to kill us. Please, send money to them to spare our lives,” one of them said.
The spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese of Auchi, Rev. Fr. Peter Egielewa, confirmed the video’s authenticity, explaining that the kidnappers were demanding money the church could not provide.
“I think it’s out of frustration they did that video,” he noted.
Efforts to get police comments on the video as of yesterday were unsuccessful.