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Lastest News Nigeria, Politics, Business, Sport, Interview
Lastest News Nigeria, Politics, Business, Sport, Interview
Babatunji Wusu –
The abductors of the 286+ students and teachers who were kidnapped a few days ago from the joint Government Secondary and LEA Primary School in Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area, Kaduna State, claimed that they might all be killed in twenty days.
On the sad day of the attack, shortly after the assembly, armed bandits broke into the school and kidnapped the students as well as a few employees.
A few days following the kidnapping, which has elicited conflicting responses from worried Nigerians, reports surfaced that the terrorists are demanding N1 billion ($620,432) in total in exchange for the victims’ release.
As a representative for the families of the abducted victims, Jubril Aminu, a community leader, told Reuters that he got a call on his phone on Tuesday from the abductors.
“They made a total of a N1 billion ransom demand for all the pupils, students and staff of the school,” Aminu reportedly said.
“They gave an ultimatum to pay the ransom within 20 days, effective from the date of the kidnap. They said they will kill all the students and the staff if the ransom demand is not met.”
Also confirming the latest announcement from the terrorists, an elected official from the Kuriga Ward municipal council, Idris Ibrahim, reportedly said: “Yes, the kidnappers called the community through Jubril Aminu’s number and made the demand,” he said.
“They called from a hidden number, but the authorities are working on getting the number.”
Samuel Aruwan, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, earlier said that the security forces are taking the necessary steps to guarantee the students’ release.
Aruwan, nevertheless, remained silent about the demands made by the kidnappers.
President Bola Tinubu’s position on the Kuriga kidnappings is that the security forces should achieve the release of the hostages without paying any ransom, as stated to reporters on Wednesday by Minister of Information Mohammed Idris.
