Malam Aminu Bako, a teacher at an Islamiya school whose pupils were kidnapped from his farm over the weekend, has revealed that bandits reached out to community leaders demanding more than N100 million for their release.
Bako also published the names of the kidnapped children and urged the military to intervene quickly to ensure their safe return.
He expressed concern that, aside from the efforts of local vigilantes, neither the school nor the families of the victims have received any concrete assistance to aid in the rescue of the 15 students.
Bako told LEADERSHIP that the acting chairman of Rafi Local Government Area and the Divisional Police Officer are the only government representatives who have visited the area following the incident.
He noted that after the brief visit by the two officials, residents were left with no choice but to depend on local vigilantes who are currently trying to track down the kidnappers.
According to Bako, recent intelligence gathered by the vigilantes suggests the children remain within Niger State, held inside a secluded structure under the guard of heavily armed bandits.
He stressed that military intervention is the only viable way to rescue them.
“We heard that they were still within Niger State, locked in a building, probably without food. We are worried; we want the authorities to come to our aid to rescue them,” he said.
The Islamiya instructor added that he has faced immense pressure from anxious parents who are deeply worried about the safety of their children.
“We are also worried that nobody has visited us from the state government, at least to give us hope that something is being done to ensure their release,” he added.
He told LEADERSHIP that the abductors contacted community leaders the previous evening to demand a ransom exceeding N100 million.
A parent, Malam Adamu, confirmed the ransom demand to the news outlet, explaining that the captors initially assumed the kidnapped students were from a government institution rather than an Islamiya school.
He said: “They told whoever spoke with them yesterday that the students were from government schools, so they should pay over N100 million, but they were told that the students were from Islamiya schools.”
Adamu called on the Niger State Government to intervene and send security support to the area.
“This is not the time to leave us to only the vigilantes,” he said.
When contacted regarding government measures to secure the pupils’ release, the Commissioner for Homeland Security, Justin Maurice Magaji, could not be reached because he and other officials were attending a State Executive Council meeting.
However, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed to the publication that suspected bandits stormed Tungan-Bako village in Rafi Local Government Area and abducted workers from a farm.
He stated that police reports indicate around 14 of the abducted individuals were Islamiya students who were assisting their teacher in harvesting maize at the time.
Abiodun gave assurances that joint security operations are active to rescue the victims, though community members insist that only local vigilantes are currently present on the ground.
In the meantime, the Islamiya teacher provided LEADERSHIP with the names of the students taken while harvesting maize on his farm: 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.
