Gunmen who abducted 286 students and staff from a school in northern Nigeria last week have demanded a ransom of 1 billion naira ($620,432) for their release, as reported by a spokesman for the families of the hostages and a local councillor to Reuters.
The abduction took place on March 7 in the town of Kuriga, located in Nigeria’s northwestern Kaduna State, marking the first mass kidnapping in the country since 2021. The victims include school children, some older students, and members of the school staff.
Jubril Aminu, a community leader and spokesperson for the families of the hostages, disclosed that the kidnappers contacted him via phone call on Tuesday, issuing the ransom demand.
“They made a total ransom demand of 1 billion naira for all the pupils, students, and staff of the school,” Aminu stated. “They set a 20-day ultimatum for the ransom to be paid from the date of the kidnapping. Failure to meet the demand would result in the killing of all the students and staff.”
Idris Ibrahim, an elected official from the Kuriga Ward municipal council, corroborated the ransom demand and confirmed the amount.
“Yes, the kidnappers called the community through Jubril Aminu’s number and made the demand,” Ibrahim affirmed. “Although they called from a hidden number, authorities are working to trace it.”
Ibrahim assured that security forces were taking necessary steps to secure the release of the students.
While the commissioner of internal security and home affairs in Kaduna State, Samuel Aruwan, did not respond immediately to Reuters’ requests for comment, spokespeople for President Bola Tinubu and the army also remained silent on the matter.
Information Minister Mohammed Idris stated that Tinubu’s stance on the Kuriga kidnappings was that security forces should secure the hostages’ release without yielding to the kidnappers’ demands.
“The president has directed that security agencies must urgently ensure the safe return of these children and all those kidnapped, without paying any ransom,” Idris emphasized.
Legislation introduced during Tinubu’s predecessor’s tenure imposes jail time for anyone found paying ransom for hostage release, as kidnappings in Nigeria escalate.
The ransom demand for the Kuriga students and staff exceeds $2,000 per hostage, surpassing Nigeria’s annual per capita income, according to International Monetary Fund data.
