Kidnappers of students of Greenfield University, Kaduna State have reduced the ransom on the remaining 17 students in their custody to N100 million.
But they threatened to kill all the students in captivity if N100 million is not paid on Tuesday, May 4, 2021.
Leader of the gang, who identified himself as Sani Idris Jalingo, in an interview with Voice of America, VOA, Hausa on Monday, May 3, 2021, also demanded 10 Honda brand motorcycles, popularly known as Boko Haram.
The Trent had reported 22 students and matron of the female hostel were abducted from the university’s premises at Kasarami Chikun Local Government Area along Kaduna-Abuja Expressway on April 20, 2021.
The bandits, who initially contacted the distressed parents and demanded N800 million ransom, later killed five of the students for failure of the parents and the university management to respond.
In the VOA interview monitored by The Nation in Kaduna on Monday, May 3, 2021, Jalingo explained they killed the five students over failure of government.
He threatened if the N100 million and 10 motorcycles are not delivered by Kaduna Government or parents by Tuesday the remaining students would be killed.
The bandit leader confirmed there were 17 students in their custody, comprising 15 females and two males, one of whom the VOA reported is a grandchild of the late 18th Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris.
Jalingo, who described the Monday threat as his final warning, said the initial N55 million paid by parents of the students has been used to feed the abductees.
According to him: “You are speaking with the abductors of Greenfield students. We heard the utterances of the Kaduna State Governor that he will not pay ransom to bandits to purchase additional arms.
“He (El-Rufai) also told his family that whoever goes to place where they are kidnapped he will not pay even N5 ransom to rescue them. That is to show that Nigerian government has failed and does not love the citizens. That is why we killed the students (the initial five).”
Asked if he was into terrorism, Jalingo laughed and said: “I am not a terrorist but a food seeker.”
He stressed: “If they (government and parents) fail to bring N100 million and 10 brand new Honda motorcycles by Tuesday, I can assure you, In Shaa Allah (by God’s grace) they will use trucks to evacuate the bodies of the remaining students.”
In the VOA report, two of the students, a male and a female spoke, begging the government to pay the ransom, saying “these people (bandits) don’t make empty threat whatever they say, they carry it out.”
Source: The Nation
