Bandits threaten to kill abducted Greenfield varsity students on Tuesday

There is apprehension in Kaduna as kidnappers of students of Greenfield University, Kaduna State are threatening to kill the remaining students in their custody on Tuesday if ransom is not paid on them.

The abductor have however reduced the ransom on the remaining 17 students in their custody to N100 million.

Leader of the gang, who identified himself as Sani Idris Jalingo, in an interview with Voice of America (VOA) Hausa on Monday, also demanded 10 Honda brand motorcycles.

Twenty-two students and matron of the female hostel were abducted from the university’s premises at Kasarami Chikun Local Government Area along Kaduna-Abuja Express way 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 in Kaduna on Monday, Jalingo explained they killed the five students over failure of government to respond to their demand for ransom promptly.

He said if the N100 million and 10 motorcycles were not delivered by Kaduna State Government or parents by Tuesday the remaining students would be killed.

The bandit leader said 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.

He said, “You are speaking with the abductors of Greenfield students. We heard the utterances of the Kaduna State Governor (Nasir el-Rufai) that he will not pay ransom to bandits to purchase additional arms.

“He (El-Rufai) also told his family that whoever among 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 said, “I am not a terrorist but a food seeker.”

He added, “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, could be heard begging the government to pay the ransom, saying, “These people (bandits) don’t make empty threats; whatever they say, they carry it out.”