Suspected bandits who abducted 15 pupils of an Islamiya school in Niger State have demanded over N100 million for their release, as fears mount over the fate of the children.
The abducted pupils were seized while assisting their teacher, Malam Aminu Bako, to harvest maize on his farm in Tungan-Bako village, Rafi Local Government Area, on Saturday according to a report by Leadership.
Bako disclosed that the kidnappers had contacted village leaders with the ransom demand, while appealing to security agencies to launch an urgent operation to rescue the children.
He said intelligence gathered by local vigilantes indicated that the victims were still being held somewhere in Niger State, allegedly confined in an isolated building guarded by heavily armed men.
The teacher lamented that neither the school nor the victims’ families had received meaningful government assistance since the abduction, apart from the efforts of local vigilantes.
According to him, the acting chairman of Rafi Local Government Area and the Divisional Police Officer were the only government officials who had visited the community since the incident.
He expressed concern that the children could be without adequate food and other necessities, urging the authorities to intervene before their condition deteriorated.
A parent, identified as Malam Adamu, said the kidnappers initially demanded over N100 million because they believed the victims were pupils of a government school. They were subsequently informed that the children attended an Islamiya school.
He appealed to the Niger State Government to provide security support, insisting that residents could not be left to depend solely on vigilantes for the rescue operation.
The police spokesman in Niger State, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the attack, saying preliminary reports indicated that about 14 of the abducted persons were Islamiya pupils who had accompanied their instructor to harvest maize.
He said joint security operations were ongoing to secure their release, although residents maintained that local vigilantes remained the only personnel actively searching for the abductors.
Meanwhile, Bako released the names of the 15 abducted pupils as Hassana Isah, Aliya Ahmad, Hajara Musa, Hauwa’u Abubakar, Halima Yahaya, Asma’u Jamilu, Radiya Salisu, Aminatu Salisu, Aisha Bello, Rahinatu Sani, Aminatu Alhassan, Nafisa Ayuba, Bilkisu Adamu, Salaha Abdullahi and Hajara Salisu.
