A negotiator assigned to pay a ransom to secure the release of 136 children seized on May 29 from the Salihu Tanko Islamic school in Tegina has been abducted by bandits in Niger state, North central Nigeria.
The negotiator, a 60-year-old community member, was kidnapped because the money he brought was too low, according to kidnappers.
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According to a news agency source, Abubakar Alhassan, the director of the Islamic school, and the parents of the youngsters verified this.
The kidnapped negotiator’s identity has not been revealed.
The school and parents have been negotiating with the kidnappers, who have wanted 30 million naira ($72,993) in exchange for the students’ release, according to Alhassan.
According to Alhassan, the school contributed to the ransom, and some parents sold property to help pay the negotiator.
In recent months, armed groups have been responsible for a series of assaults on colleges and institutions in northern Nigeria, abducting over 1,000 students for ransom.
The administration has stated that no ransom will be paid.
Security forces have been asked to look for the pupils by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We sold most of our properties and used our savings to see that our children are returned.
“Unfortunately after all the effort, they said that we did not bring the money as they required,” said Ibrahim Salihu, father of two of the children abducted by the school in Niger state.
“We are now left with nothing and our children are still held captive,” he said.
The police did not respond to a request for comment.
In the same vein, over 50 travellers have also been kidnapped in Sokoto state, Northwest Nigeria.
The abductions were confirmed by a Sokoto government official, although the number of victims was not given.
On Sunday, the victims were kidnapped while traveling on the Sokoto-Gusau road.
Although the exact number of people seized during the Sunday morning operation is unknown, a witness claims that over 50 people were abducted.
Several sources said that the majority of those kidnapped were boarding buses operated by the State Transport Authority, or SPORA.
Yahuza Chika, the general manager of the Sokoto Mass Transit, confirmed the attack to journalists, saying that just one of their buses was engaged, and that the other cars involved were not theirs.
He claimed that two persons on the bus managed to flee, while the rest of the passengers were abducted by the bandits. He didn’t say how many people were stolen from his organization’s bus.
However, Abubakar Umar, a driver traveling from Talata Mafara to Sokoto, claimed that more than 50 persons were abducted during the operation, which lasted more than 30 minutes.
He said, “I was driving when I started hearing gunshots. I had to stop immediately after Lambar Bakura and other motorists stopped too.
When the road was cleared, we drove to the spot and they were many vehicles empty parked. I counted three empty SPORA vehicles.”
Another motorist, Isa Mustapha, said the attack occurred few minutes after he drove past the spot.
“From Tureta to Lambar Bakura, you can count more than ten security checkpoints that include police, immigration and soldiers, how then could bandits be terrorising same place every day?
“I left just a little after 11 in the morning and I started getting calls to confirm whether I’ve left the spot because bandits have started attacking people. It’s scary.”
Ahmad Madunaka, a school teacher in Sokoto, said “commuters in the first three vehicles were completely kidnapped and those included the SPORA vehicle.”
Kidnappings for ransom have been widespread in Sokoto and other Nigerian states.
Armed bandits carry out attacks in Sokoto and other states in Northwest Nigeria with the goal of terrorizing locals and making money.
Apart from kidnappings, the bandits assassinate community inhabitants at will. An alpha jet used by the military to attack criminals in neighboring Zamfara State was recently shot down by a group of outlaws.
