The terrorists who abducted Major Christopher Datong after raiding the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Afaka, Kaduna, in the early hours of Tuesday have refused to bring down their asking price of N200million for the freedom of their captive, FIJ can report.

According to a senior military source who spoke with FIJ on Thursday, the so-called “bandits” have been “harsh” and brief, leaving little negotiation wiggle room when communicating with the contacts of their captive.

READ ALSO: EXCLUSIVE: Abducted Major Christopher Datong Still Alive

Multiple platforms had reported on Tuesday evening that Major Datong had been killed and his body recovered, but as exclusively reported by FIJ on Wednesday, both his family and the NDA got proof of life as of 10pm on Tuesday — hours after the supposed death was reported.

The latest update is that while the terrorists have been uncooperative, Major Datong is still alive.

READ ALSO: EXCLUSIVE: ‘Bandits’ Contact NDA, Demand N200m Ransom for Abducted Major

“He is alive; he is still alive,” the security source told FIJ. “But those people are insisting it is N200million they want. Their phone conversations are always very brief, then they hang up.”

FIJ’s independent findings show that the terrorists are in such large expanse of land that any attempt to manually locate and rescue the captive is at once a complicated process.

READ ALSO: EXCLUSIVE: ‘We Don’t Pay Ransoms’, Military Tells Abducted Datong’s Family

“You probably have not seen a forest like this before,” the security source said. “You’ve heard of Sambisa but Sambisa is just like a town compared to this place we’re talking about.”

Major Datong was abducted in the wee hours of Tuesday by assailants who also shot two officers dead after gaining access to the defence academy.