The over 286 students and staff of the joint Government Secondary and LEA Primary School in Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, who were abducted a few days ago, may all be killed in twenty days from now, said their abductors.
We recalls that on the unfortunate day of the attack, the armed bandits stormed the school not long after the assembly gathering and abducted the pupils and some staff members of the schools.
A few days after the abduction, which has generated mixed reactions among concerned Nigerians, the terrorists have reportedly demanded a total of N1 billion ($620,432) for the release of the victims.
According to Reuters, a community leader, Jubril Aminu, who was acting as a spokesman for the families of the kidnap victims, said he received a call on his phone from the kidnappers on Tuesday.
“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.”
Earlier, the Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs in Kaduna State, Samuel Aruwan, stated that the security forces are taking appropriate measures to ensure the students’ release.
However, Aruwan did not speak further regarding the kidnappers’ demands.
On Wednesday, the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, informed reporters that President Bola Tinubu’s stance on the Kuriga kidnappings is that the security forces should secure the release of the hostages without paying any ransom.