Kidnappers who raided the Engravers College, Kakau Daji, in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, early Thursday morning, and abducted six female students and two staff members have demanded a N50 million ransom.
Governor Nasir el-Rufai confirmed, Friday, that the criminals had made contact with the families of the girls, and promised to get the eight people released unhurt and bring their abductors to justice.
The governor also revealed that his government had provided tight security around all secondary schools in the state following the intelligence it got that some criminals working with the Boko Haram terrorist group was planning to be invading schools to abduct students, especially girls.
He, however, lamented that nothing was previously known about the private secondary school until the unfortunate incident happened.
Rufai also disclosed that the traumatised relatives have been moved to a central location to enable communication with the abductors.
One of the two security guards in the school was said to have been shot and wounded when he attempted to fire a Dane gun at one of the criminals during the raid.
A staff member of the Engravers College who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter, said that the bandits made contact at about 7p.m., Thursday, demanding N50 million ransom.
“Yesterday in the evening,” he said, “they called and said we should pay N50 million for release of the students and the two staff that they kidnapped.
“But we pleaded with them that things were hard and we didn’t have that kind of money. They also said things were also hard for them.
“We begged them to collect N100, 000, but the man laughed and said N100, 000 is nothing. He said that he, as a person, can even dash somebody N100, 000.
“This morning (Friday) they called again and we are still negotiating.”
The school, in the meantime, has been shut for two weeks, according to its director, Mr. Samuel Amamchukwu. He said academic activities cannot continue while eight precious members of the school were in captivity.
The school, according to its Vice Principal (Administration), Mr. Funom Giwa, was established in 2004 and had graduated 10 sets of students.
Spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, Mr. Yakubu Sabo, reiterated that a combined team of police mobile anti-kidnapping squad, SARS, and operatives of Operation Puff Adder, on the trail of the kidnappers.
He said: “Operations are still going on; our men are still in the bush; we are trailing them,. It is a combine efforts (with other security agencies).”
