Lagos parents, schools devise measures to protect students from abductors

Pupils of public and private schools in Ajegunle community, Lagos State.

Mrs. Bilikis Shittu said due to high rate of kidnappers in society: “I make it a priority to drop my kids and pick them everyday by myself in their school.

“I have notified my children school authority not to release my kids to anybody. Whatever I am doing is suspended during my children’s closing hour. I pick my kids from school. Though is not easy, but I make it a habit.”

For Mrs. Abiodun Famaye: “Though my kids are in a boarding school, what we decide with the school authority, as parents, is that an identification card must be given to all parents, without which the school authority will not release the child.

“It is the duty of all parents in the school to come with the identification card, and in case you are sending someone to pick your child, the person must come with a letter and the identification card from you.

“The school authority must also be notified through call.”
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Mrs. Taiwo Adebajo lamented the rate at which abduction is rampant in society, saying: “Actually, the school authorities assured us that there is CCTV around the school premises, but I so much believed that we need to be prayerful, especially about our kids, because it is not only in the school premises such case can happen, even at home they can kidnap anybody.”

Mr. Ayinla Dele said: “It is annoying hearing that somebody is kidnaped and a ransom is requested to be paid.

“What I did was to train my children to be security conscious anywhere they are and how to get help if they suspect somebody want to abduct them, because there is no how you can be around those kids 24/7, especially when they are teenagers.

“The best I thought I could do is to create awareness on security tips.”

Mrs. Bidemi Akinlolu, a resident of Mushin, Lagos, said: “The only ultimate protection I have is prayer, because before now when kidnapping was not rampant in our vicinity, we were always scared of the movement of our wards.

“In this country where hoodlums are the VIP of each community, at any time we hear sound of fighting, we get our children secured. What can we do about that when the government has nothing to do about it?

“Therefore, the weapon we use is prayer for them as they go out to school.”

Another resident, Mrs. Foluke Ibrahim, added: “Personally, I always try to report all strange and unwanted movements of any one around the street to the community governing council before it comes back to haunt me and my family.

“Kidnapping is not that rampant here in Mushin; what we have most times is fighting and it so disheartening. We cannot say when it will start and no one wants to be the first victim, so we guild the steps of our kids before they go to the dangerous part of life,” she said.

A resident of Ikotun, Mrs. Fatima Alaarin, said: “I always get their teachers’ contacts and monitor their school schedule and get them busy with one thing and another at their leisure time at home.

“I pray too, because in this same Nigeria where those who would kidnap your child will write letter to you and inform you that they are coming, not to talk of attack on the rich who are fully secured, and this evil workers still kill and kidnap their target so what do I have to guild myself?

“This country is no longer safe, so the best we can do is pray,” she said.