By Ismail Auwal
The gunmen who took 156 Islamiyya students in Niger State hostage have reportedly demanded the sum of N110m (one hundred and ten million naira as ransom.
The students were abducted from Salihu Tanko islamiyya school, late Sunday afternoon, in Tegina town in Rafi Local Government Area of the state.
Abubakar Alhassan, the school headmaster, was reported to have said that the kidnappers had contacted the school on Monday, demanding the amount as ransom.
“I was baffled when the kidnappers declared to me that the sum of N110m should be paid to secure the release of the pupils, and threatened to kill all the children if the money is not paid by the end of yesterday (Tuesday)”, the school head was quoted as saying.
Alhassan also said that the bandits confirmed having a total of 156 students in their custody.
He stressed that the abductors threatened to kill all the children in captivity if the relationship of the victims failed to meet their demand of a N110m ransom.
However, in a statement by Mary Noel-Berje, Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Niger Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, the state government said that it would not pay ransom to the criminals but would only consider engage them in negotiations.
“We don’t pay ransom to abductors. We are trying to negotiate to see how we can bring them back safely,” the statement quoted the deputy governor, Ahmed M. Ketso, as saying.
However, the parents and the community where the school is located are said to have begun sourcing for money to pay the ransom for the timely release of their children.
