By Abigail David

The abducted principal of Community Grammar School, Esiele, Alamu Folawe, has appealed to Bola Tinubu and Seyi Makinde to negotiate with her captors rather than use force to secure the release of victims abducted in Oriire Local Government Area.

In a video shared online on Friday, the visibly distressed principal said she and other abductees, including children, had spent 13 days in the bush under harsh weather conditions since the attack.

According to her, the victims had been exposed to rain, cold and intense heat while in captivity, as she pleaded with authorities not to allow the kidnappers harm them.

Folawe also appealed to the Nigeria Union of Teachers and the Christian Association of Nigeria to intervene, warning that attempts to rescue them through force had worsened their situation.

She claimed that a recent security operation angered the abductors and allegedly placed the life of one of the captives at greater risk.

The appeal comes nearly two weeks after gunmen attacked Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yamota, and L.A. Primary School, Alawusa, abducting seven teachers and 39 pupils on May 15.

During the attack, mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun was killed, while a motorcyclist and a security operative also lost their lives during rescue attempts.

Sources said the abductors later opened communication channels with the Oyo State Government and insisted they would negotiate only with the governor rather than the victims’ families.

Governor Makinde had earlier assured residents that his administration was working round the clock to secure the release of the abducted victims.

Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, announced the deployment of additional detectives from Abuja to support ongoing rescue operations, while the Defence Headquarters said troops had established contact with the abductors.

Italian police have arrested two Nigerians and three other African migrants over the alleged abduction and gang rape of a Colombian tourist in Rome.

According to reports by British media outlet Daily Express, the 32-year-old Colombian woman was allegedly lured away from a restaurant in the Italian capital on May 19 by a man who reportedly offered to sell her hashish.

Authorities said the victim was taken in a van to an abandoned building on the eastern outskirts of Rome, where she was allegedly held captive for about 72 hours.

Police said the woman was repeatedly raped, drugged and threatened before managing to escape from the building. She was later found half-naked on a pavement by a passerby who alerted emergency responders.

Following a raid on the property, police arrested five suspects identified as Saidykhan Lamin, Karamba Kanteh, Harouna Traore, Isibor Wisdom and Paul Nwabueze.

The suspects have been charged with gang rape aggravated by the victim’s vulnerable condition and remain in police custody.

Investigators said efforts were ongoing to apprehend other suspects believed to have participated in the incident, including the man who allegedly lured the victim away and the driver who transported her to the building.

Police also disclosed that 22 undocumented migrants were discovered during the operation, with 11 reportedly transferred to detention centres pending deportation procedures.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has placed Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory and eight other states on high Ebola alert following the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola Virus Disease in parts of East and Central Africa.

In a public health advisory issued to state commissioners for health, the agency warned that Nigeria faces a high risk of importing the virus due to increasing regional transmission, international travel, porous borders and population movement.

States classified as high-risk include Rivers State, Kano State, Enugu State, Borno State, Akwa Ibom State, Cross River State, Taraba State and Adamawa State because of their airports, seaports, border routes and high human traffic.

The NCDC said Nigeria had not recorded any confirmed Ebola case but warned that a recent risk assessment showed the danger of importation remains high.

According to the agency, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have recorded 1,077 suspected cases and 247 deaths linked to the outbreak, with a fatality rate of 24.6 per cent.

The agency explained that the Bundibugyo strain differs from the Zaire Ebola strain because there are currently no approved vaccines or specific treatments for it.

It also warned that symptoms may initially resemble malaria or Lassa Fever, making early detection more difficult.

As part of emergency response measures, the NCDC said its National Emergency Operations Centre had been activated in alert mode while state governments were directed to strengthen surveillance, identify isolation centres, equip health workers and intensify public awareness campaigns.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Ministry of Health assured residents that no confirmed or suspected Ebola case had been detected in the state.

The Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, said Lagos remained on high alert and had activated its biosecurity architecture to detect and contain any possible outbreak.

He noted that the state’s preparedness system, first tested during the 2014 Ebola outbreak and later strengthened during the COVID-19 pandemic, remains active in responding to infectious disease threats.

Nigeria’s renewed alert has revived memories of the country’s successful containment of Ebola in 2014 after infected traveller Patrick Sawyer arrived in Lagos.

Health authorities have urged Nigerians to remain calm, maintain proper hygiene, avoid misinformation and promptly report suspected symptoms as surveillance efforts intensify nationwide.