Federal Government, through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), will today arraign five alleged kidnappers of some school pupil and teacher before Justice John Tsoho of an Abuja Federal High Court.
Their arraignment had earlier been stalled on Tuesday due to the non-availability of an interpreter, who was supposed to interpret to the defendants in Pidgin English.
The prosecution counsel, Aminu Alilu, had urged the court to stand down the matter to get an interpreter, while he frantically consulted with any competent person including journalists to act as interpreter for the defendants.
According to the charge sheet seen by our reporter, Bekewei Agbojule (aka Asari), Egbasimokumo Ayeomi (aka Effiong), Godspower Olopele, Toki Okuba and Supper Allen Baye (aka Yanga), were accused of hostage taking of some pupils and staff members of a school in Isheri, Ogun State, on January 13, 2017.
They were also alleged to have conspired among themselves and others at large to demand N800 million as ransom after they seized and detained the pupils and other staff members of Nigeria Tulip International College, Isheri, Ogun State.
They were said to have initially demanded for the sum of N800 million before reducing it to N50 million, which they allegedly received before releasing the victims.
It was further alleged that the defendants, along with others at large, on December 16, 2016, at Asolo Bridge, Ikorodu Expressway, Lagos, seized at gunpoint one Joshua Olayinka, Rita Morah, Kendra Abiose, and four others.
The defendants were said to have after seizing the six victims in Ikorodu, gone ahead to detain them at Ibafo Creek, Ogun State. They allegedly demanded a monetary ransom of N2 million from the family members of the victims and received the money before releasing the abductees.
SEYI ANJORIN, Abuja
