The abductors of 156 Islamiyya students have demanded the sum of N110m as ransom for their release .
The students were forcefully taken away by their abductors at Tegina town in Rafi LGA on Sunday.
The school’s headmaster, Abubakar Alhassan, is reported to have said the abductors contacted the school to make a demand for the ransom on Monday.
“I was baffled when the kidnappers declared to me that the sum of N110m should be paid to secure the release of the pupils and threatened to kill all the children if the money is not paid by the end of yesterday,(Tuesday), he said.
Alhassan is also reported to have said the bandits stated they abducted a total of 156 students
The bandits threatened to kill their victims if their demand was not agreed to, Alhassan added.
In a statement by Mary Noel-Berje, chief press secretary to Niger governor, the state government said it would not pay ransom to the bandits but would consider negotiations.
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“We don’t pay ransom to abductors. We are trying to negotiate to see how we can bring them back safely,” the statement quoted the deputy governor as saying.
However, the parents and the community have started to source the ransom for the release of their children.
