Children Kidnapped In Nigeria: 287 school children kidnapped in Nigeria, gunmen demand 1 billion Naira
A case of kidnapping of at least 287 school children has come to light in Nigeria. A member of the local community told CNN on Wednesday that the incident was reported last Thursday, that some gunmen had kidnapped the children and were now demanding a ransom of 1 billion naira ($621,848) if their demands were met. If it doesn’t happen, he has also threatened to kill all the children.
Gunmen demand 1 billion naira
According to CNN, Aminu Jibril, a resident of Kuriga village in Kaduna state, where the school is located, said, “They called me from a number yesterday (Tuesday) at 12:16 pm and demanded a ransom of 1 billion naira ($621,848). ) demanded. He said that the ultimatum would last only for three weeks or 20 days from the date of abduction of the children and if there was no action from the government, they would kill them all.
Let us tell you that the children were kidnapped on March 7.
Jibril also told CNN that the criminals said the kidnapping was a way to attack the government and security agencies for killing their gang members.
More than 300 students were kidnapped
The Kuriga community member said he believed the kidnappers got his number from the head of the junior secondary section of the school, who was abducted along with the students.
Armed bandits on motorcycles early Thursday morning raided LEA Primary and Secondary School in Kuriga village, Chikun district of Kaduna, and abducted more than 300 students, state police spokesman Mansur Hassan told CNN on Friday.
Some students were rescued but 287 of them are still with the kidnappers. About 100 of them are from primary school and the rest are from secondary school.
Kaduna Governor Uba Sani in a statement on Thursday said his government was doing everything possible to ensure the safe return of pupils and students. Sani also said that a member of the community who confronted the kidnappers was killed during the attack.
140 students were kidnapped in 2021 also
Kaduna state, which borders the Nigerian capital Abuja to the south-west, has grappled with frequent kidnappings for ransom by bandits and has seen several mass kidnappings in recent years, including in that district. Includes where LEA primary and secondary schools are located.
In 2021, at least 140 students were abducted by armed men from a private secondary school.
The incident came just months after gunmen abducted about 20 students of a private university in Chikan’s Kasarmi village.
Family members told CNN at the time that five of the students were murdered after a ransom deadline was not met.
