The bandits who kidnapped over 200 pupils of the Salihu Tanko Islamiyya School in Tegina town of Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State are demanding the whopping sum of N110 million as ransom to release the victims.
The bandits who threatened to kill the pupils if their demands are not met by Tuesday midnight reportedly contacted the School Headmaster, Alhaji Abubakar Alhassan, to make their demands known.
The Headmaster also said the bandits disclosed that only 150 pupils are in their custody.
Reacting to the development, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, Mary Noel Berje said that the state government has put in place the necessary machinery to ensure the safe release of the pupils.
She, however, ruled out plans to pay ransom to the criminals.
“We don’t pay ransom to abductors. We are trying to negotiate to see how we can bring them back safely,” she said.
Considering the unwillingness of the state government to pay ransom to the hoodlums, families, and some concerned public interest within the community have embarked on raising money to see how they can meet the set deadline by the bandits to save the children from being killed.
