Kidnappers of Bethel students renege on promise, demand fresh N50m ransom

A close source told journalists that “after the parents contributed N100 million for the release of their children, the bandits ended up releasing only 28 of them, promising that others will be released in batches.Now they are demanding an additional ransom of N50 million to release the remaining 83 students in their custody.

The parents are hopeless and devastated by this development having sold everything they had to raise N100 million that was given to the bandits.”

But the President of the Baptist Conference, Kaduna, Rev. Ishaya Jangado, who is also the proprietor of the school, said he was not aware of the fresh demand, as there was no update from the bandits.

“Up till now there is no update, we are still waiting for them to release the remaining students,” he said .

It could be recalled that President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, Rev. Israel Akanji, had said that the church did not pay any ransom for the release of the students.

According to him, he was not in a position to say whether the parents and well-wishers paid ransom to the bandits, pointing out that “there are parents, well-wishers and neighbours who are struggling for the children to be released, therefore we cannot really restrict people from their actions in getting the children out, but as a group we do not believe in paying ransom.”

Akanji had said probably, some must have been involved in certain ways but he could not answer for them.