Terrorists demand N25 million ransom for kidnapped Zamfara varsity students
Terrorists responsible for the abduction of five students of the Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State, have demanded the sum of N5m per student, which amounts to N25m as a total for the release of all five victims,
The PUNCH has gathered that the terrorists reached out to the families of the students on Sunday evening.
Earlier students of the institution protested the failure of the university management and security agencies to secure the release of their colleagues.
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The students were said to have been abducted from their hostels on Friday, June 16, 2023, a few months after some students were reported to have been earlier kidnapped but were freed after ransoms were paid.
The new development angered students who took to the streets on Saturday.
The varsity Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Muazu Abubakar, assured the students that the school authorities would ensure the abducted students were released, but his assurance was disregarded by the students.
One of the students, Musa Shehu said, “A lot of students have been kidnapped from this institution, but no positive action has been taken to rescue them.
“There are some students currently in bandits camp and the authorities are not making any move to rescue them.”
A family member of one of the victims, who spoke under the condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, said, “They (terrorists) reached out on Sunday and said we must pay N5m each for each one of them.
“Our family does not have that kind of money. We need help. We are calling on the government to come to our aid. It is not a crime to go to school.”
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Police Force in Zamfara, Muhammad Shehu, couldn’t provide further information.
Messages sent to his mobile line had also not been responded to as of the time of filing this report.
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