Katsina students abductors contact parents, govt for ransom, warn military

Bandits who attacked Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, have reportedly contacted one of the parents of the abducted students.

Gunmen had stormed the school on Friday night and abducted the students.

The Presidency also confirmed that the terrorists had made contact with the government.

This was disclosed in a social media statement by a presidential aide, Garba Shehu, after a meeting between Governor Aminu Masari and President Muhammadu Buhari.

A media personality, Kadaria Ahmed, reported a spokesman for the Katsina State Government, Abdul Labaran, as disclosing this in an interview with RadioNow FM.

She quoted Labaran as saying the gunmen had asked the parents to start making preparations for ransom to facilitate the release of the students.

Labaran also reportedly said the gunmen also asked the parent to warn security operatives to stop the surveillance of their hideouts to guarantee the safety of the students.

“Abdul Labaran DG Media for the Katsina govt just told @RadioNow953FM gunmen who abducted Kankara Students have phoned a parent and told him to begin gathering ransom money and asked him to tell the military to desist from air surveillance of their hiding place or else,” Kadaria tweeted.

The Presidency also stated that discussions with the terrorists are ongoing so as to achieve the safe return of the students, adding, “We are making progress and the outlook is positive.”

Shehu reported that Masari had said that security agencies had located the position of the children.

The defence headquarters said the military action would continue despite talks with the suspected bandits by the state government.

When he featured on a Channels Television programme on Monday night, defence spokesman John Eneche said the military operation to rescue the kidnapped students was ongoing.

“You don’t stop whatever efforts you are putting up militarily for what we call the non-kinetic (or) the other approach. No, you don’t stop, all of them go concurrently,” he said.

“For instance, if they (the students) are kept in a place that is known, if you relax, they will slip out. So, all actions are on the table to ensure that we come to a meeting point and the meeting point is to ensure that we don’t get collateral damage in our efforts to get them (the students) out.”

“The troops and other security agencies have been adequately deployed to ensure that they (the students) are rescued alive, that is the most important thing for us. And that is what we have for the general public that there is hope, we need them out alive.”