"Fulani herdsmen have vowed to kidnap me" - Edo headmaster raises alarm -

The Headmaster of Obi Primary School at Obi camp, Owan West LGA of Edo State, Mr. Okun Dada, says Fulani herdsmen have vowed not to rest until they kidnap him.

The Herald recalls that a teacher at the school, Mrs. Esther Alabi, was kidnapped on January 13 and released after a ransom of N1.7 million cash and some malt drinks were paid.

But in an interview with Saturday Punch, the headmaster said the assailants revealed that they were really after him but only picked up Alabi after failing to get him.

Dada, who is the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Owan West LGA, alleged that the herdsmen have vowed not to rest until he is abducted.

He disclosed that Fulani herdsmen have taken over the school and all teachers, including himself, have handed in their requests to be transferred from the school.

The headmaster urged the Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to immediately approve their transfer requests so that he would not be killed by the herdsmen.

Responding to a question on whether teachers have left the school, Dada said, “Yes, there is no teacher in that school now. All of us are saying we are not going back there.

“For me, I will never go back there. When Alabi was released by the kidnappers, she told me the kidnappers said they were sent to come and kidnap me and that it was me that they really came for.

“On that day, the way I was attacked before I managed to escape also showed that they were actually after me. So I would rather retire from service than to be taken back to that place again.

“Because of my position in the local government as the number one teacher and the Chairman of the NUT, I am not supposed to be working in a remote area like that. I’m supposed to be in the town.

“They should relocate me to the town so I will not die young and I can retire and get my benefits.”

Asked how he was sure that the assailants were Fulani, he said, “Yes, they were Fulani because they spoke Fulani language, Fulfulde.

“I don’t understand their language but I know quite well that they were Fulani because they had the Fulani tribal marks on their faces and their intonation also showed that they were Fulani.”