Bandits Increase Ransom To N200m For Abducted Islamic School Pupils

The bandits who abducted the 156 pupils of the Salihu Tanko Islamiyya School in Tegina town of Rafi local government of Niger state last Sunday have increased the ransom for their release to N200m.

Initially the bandits demanded for N110m for the release of the victims, mostly girls, with a threat that if by Thursday the money was not delivered they would be killed.

However the bandits reportedly got across to the parents Thursday evening that the ransom had been increased to N200m with the same threat if the deadline was not met.

Father of five of the victims and a tipper driver Malam Ali Mohammed confirmed the latest development to newsmen on Thursday night.

”We are poor people, we don’t have such money, we plead with the government to come to our assistance,” Mohammed said.

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It was learnt that government may have abandoned the parents to their fate as no official of the state government has visited them in Tegina since the incident happened.

It was said that only the Rafi Local Government Council Chairman Alhaji Ismaila Modibo and some members of his council have physically commiserated with the victims’ parents.