Bandits Demand N110m Ransom For Abducted Tegina Pupils

02 Jun Bandits Demand N110m Ransom For Abducted Tegina Pupils

The abductors of the pupils of the Salihu Tanko Islamiyya School in Tegina town in Rafi Local Government of Niger State have spoken with the

Headmaster, Alhaji Abubakar Alhassan.

In a call at about 4pm on Monday, they asked him to pay N110 million as ransom for the release of his pupils.

Alhassan told THISDAY on Tuesday that said the bandits claimed to have 156 pupils with them.

According to him, the kidnappers threatened that if they did not pay the ransom by the end of today, they will kill all the children.

Alhassan said the message had been passed to the state government, which said it would not pay any ransom for the release of the children.

However, state government has said that it had set the necessary machinery in motion to ensure the safe release of the school children but completely ruled out the payment of ransom to the kidnappers.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, Mary Noel Berje, quoted the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Ketso, as also saying: “Government is in pursuit of the bandits and efforts are being put in place to identify them.

“The number of the kidnapped school children is not fully ascertained. However, efforts by security agencies to secure their release have been intensified.

“We don’t pay ransom to abductors. We are trying to negotiate to see how we can bring them back safely.”

Describing the situation as unfortunate, the Deputy Governor disclosed that the Islamiyya school had three components nursery, primary and junior secondary school, adding that government made contact with some of the identified parents of the kidnapped children and assured them of the safe return of their children.