Photo: parents of the kidnapped kids
6 children kidnapped from school 3 months ago die in kidnappers’ custody
Six of the students kidnapped by a group of armed men in Niger State nearly three months ago have died in the custody of their kidnappers, pulse.com reports.
Bandits’ attacked Salihu Tanko Islamic School in Tegina, Rafi local government area of Niger on May 30, 2021, and kidnapped 136 people, including teachers.
Parents of the hostages, some as young as four years old, have since then accused the government of abandoning them to their fate, with the kidnappers demanding a ransom of N150 million.
The school’s head teacher, Abubakar Alhassan, told Reuters that the kidnappers called him to give him news of the deceased students.
They claimed the children died from sickness, and called on their parents to urgently meet their ransom demands so that others can be released.
The parents have already paid the bandits over N30 million, but they have demanded more money and motorcycles.
Hundreds of students have been kidnapped from schools in Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Edo, Benue, Zamfara, and Plateau since last December, a huge spike following in the footsteps of high-profile abductions in Chibok, Borno in 2014, and Dapchi, Yobe in 2018.
A majority of the students have been released after negotiations between the government, or families, and the kidnappers, but hundreds currently remain in captivity, and some killed by their captors.
