Kidnappers free three Edo teachers
• Govt begins certificate verification
AFTER two weeks in captivity, three female primary school teachers abducted by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers at Orhogbua Primary School in Ekhehuan village, Edo State yesterday regained their freedom.
But it was an embarrassment to the leadership of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and the state civil service as a teacher at Asologun Primary School, Ikpoba Okha Local Council, Benin City could not read a sworn affidavit she tendered as part of her credentials at the on-going verification of certificates of primary school teachers in the state.
It was learnt that the three kidnapped teachers were released at about 3.00 a.m. on Tuesday at the Ekhehuan axis of the state. They were said to have called members of their family who went to pick them up.
The teachers, Patience Osadolor, Momodu Aisha and Patience Oroghene were seized at gunpoint from the school on July 30, 2013. Their abductors had initially demanded for N60 million ransoms for their release, but later slashed the amount to N7.5 million.
At press time, it could not be ascertained if any ransom was paid before the teachers were released.
The state governor, Adams Oshiomhole who paid an unscheduled visit to the State Staff Training Centre, venue of the exercise was appalled that a teacher could not read, saying “if you can’t read, what do you teach the pupils, what do you write on the board?”
Chairman of the state Nigeria Union of Teachers, Comrade Patrick Ikosimi who was also at the screening to monitor the exercise said the woman’s performance was “an embarrassment”.
On arrival at the centre, the governor took time to check some of the teacher’s credentials and documents presented and was surprised when the teacher stuttered while reading an affidavit she deposed to.
Ikosimi, who described her failure as an embarrassment, said the union was in tune with the state government on the need to sanitise the school system.
“We are committed to partnering with the government to reposition education in the state. What this teacher has just displayed is a show of shame; it shows the decadence in the education sector.
“As the chairman of NUT, I have written to the governor that we are in total support of what he is doing. He should properly involve the NUT so that together we can fish out the culprits who are not productive as far as the system is concerned,” he said.
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