Thirty-three days after abduction of their children, parents and relatives of the remaining 16 kidnapped students and staff of Greenfield University, Kaduna have begged for government’s assistance to rescue them.
They said the kidnappers have insisted on N10 million ransom for each of the remaining captives comprising 13 students and three female staff of the university.
Bandits on 20th April, 2021 invaded Greenfield University at Kasarami village, Chikun local government, along Kaduna-Abuja express way and kidnapped 19 students and three female staff.
The kidnappers killed five of the students for failure of the government and their parents to pay the initial ransom demand of N800 million days after the abduction.
The bandits later reduced the cumulative ransom to N100 million and threatened to kill the remaining abductees if their parents fail to meet their demand the following day.
However, prominent Kaduna- based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, who later mediated between the bandits and the parents, told journalists the bandits agreed not to kill any of the captives again.
Speaking to The Nation on Sunday evening, one of the parents (name withheld), said they are traumatised because they don’t know the condition of their children.
He however appealed to State and Federal Government to urgently assist them in rescuing their children from captivity.
While lamenting their children had spent 33 days in the bandits den, the parent appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari and Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, to use their office to secure the release of the students before something sinister happens to them.
He reiterated the parents union’s initial call that the same strategy adopted to rescue the kidnapped students in Jangebe, Zamfara State, Kankara in Katsina State, Kagara in Niger State and Afaka in Kaduna State should be adopted by the Federal Government to rescue their children too.
According to him: “The kidnappers have not shifted ground, they are demanding N10 million for each of the 16 captives, even after the parents had collectively paid them over N60 million ransom for the release of their children without any success.
“We the parents are appealing to the Federal and State Governments to assist us to pay the ransom demanded or find any other way to ensure the safe return of our children.”