Gunmen demand $621,848 ransom for kidnapped Nigerian schoolchildren
In a chilling development, gunmen who abducted 287 schoolchildren in Nigeria last Thursday have demanded a ransom of 1 billion naira ($621,848) and issued a grave threat. A resident of Kuriga village, Aminu Jibril, revealed to CNN that the kidnappers warned of killing all the students if their demands are not met within three weeks.
The kidnappers justified their actions as retaliation against the government and security agencies for targeting their accomplices. Jibril also disclosed that the perpetrators likely obtained his contact information from the head of the school’s junior secondary section, who was also kidnapped.
The abduction took place on March 7 at the LEA Primary and Secondary School in Kuriga village, Kaduna state. While some students were rescued, 287 remain in captivity, comprising primary and secondary school students. The Kaduna Governor Uba Sani assured efforts for the safe return of the children, acknowledging the sacrifice of a community member who lost his life confronting the abductors.
Kaduna state has been plagued by frequent incidents of ransom kidnappings by bandits, with several mass abductions occurring in recent years. In 2021, 140 students were kidnapped from a private secondary school, and earlier, 20 students from a private university were abducted, resulting in the tragic deaths of five students after ransom demands were unmet.
