The abductors of the over 200 students and staff of a school in Kariga, Kaduna, who were kidnapped last Thursday, have demanded N1 billion naira as ransom to secure their release.

This was disclosed to Reuters by a local councilor and Jubril Aminu, a community leader who acts as a spokesperson for the families of the abductees.

This ransom demand is coming barely two days after the abductors of the 15 students who were kidnapped in Tsangaya, Sokoto, last week demanded N20 million for their release.

Jubril Aminu told Reuters that the kidnappers contacted him via telephone on Tuesday, March 12, to discuss the ransom.

“They made a total of N1 billion ransom demand for all the pupils, students and staff of the school,” said Aminu.

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Aminu added that the kidnappers threatened to kill the abductees if the ransom was not paid within 20 days.

“They gave an ultimatum to pay the ransom within 20 days, effective from the date of the kidnap. They said they would kill all the students and the staff if the ransom demand was not met,” he said.

This information was also confirmed by Idris Ibrahim, an elected official from the Kuriga Ward Municipal Council.

He told Reuters that the kidnappers called the community through Jubril Aminu with a hidden phone number. “Yes, the kidnappers called the community through Jubril Aminu’s number and made the demand,” said Ibrahim.

“They called from a hidden number, but the authorities are working on getting the number.”

No less than three different abductions were recorded in Sokoto, Borno and Kaduna last week. There has been no information yet regarding the release of the victims of any of these abductions.