The Students’ Union Government of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, has appealed to President Buhari, Governor Seyi Makinde and security agencies to ensure the release of a final year student of the university, Rachael Opadele, from her abductors.
Opadele, and the owner of the hotel where she was working at Abaa in the Surelere Local Government Area of Oyo State, were kidnapped by gunmen on Thursday night.
She was said to be working at the hotel due to the ongoing strike action of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
The students’ union, in a statement made available to our correspondent on Sunday, pleaded with Buhari and Makinde to beef up security in the areas around the university and to do everything required to free Opadele.
The statement was signed by the SUG President, Anuoluwa Adeboye; General Secretary, Ibrahim Opaleke and the Public Relations Officer, Michael Gabriel.
The abducted final year student was said to have lost her father about three months ago and was said to have picked up the job at the hotel to assist her mother, who was saddled with the responsibility of taking care of the family.
The statement read, “It saddens our heart that Opadele Rachael Abiola, a final year student of Fine and Applied Arts with Matric Number: 170886, was abducted in a hotel at Aaba, a community close to LAUTECH.
“To Oyo State Government and the management of our university, please help beef up the security around the university community.
“We can tell you that the security and safety of LAUTECH community is in great jeopardy. Now is the time to act before it’s too late. For the past few weeks, we have been experiencing several robberies. Now, one of us is kidnapped. Who knows who is next? Before these evil people make it a job to be kidnapping students, Act now!
“We can no longer walk or move freely, sleep conveniently, travel, or do anything without fear of being abducted or kidnapped, robbed, raped, or maimed within or outside our university community.
“This is a cry from over 35,000 students of LAUTECH to the Federal Government, the Oyo State Government, all security operatives in Nigeria and Oyo State, the Obas, and the management of LAUTECH over the abduction of Rachael by gunmen, to help free and save Rachael.”
