By John Ikani
Men of the Nigerian police have nabbed three kingpins involved in the kidnap of over 100 students of Bethel Baptist School, Kaduna.
The suspects, dressed in military uniforms were paraded by Police Spokesman, Frank Mba at the headquarters of defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), in Abuja.
While confessing to carrying out the abductions, the suspects identified as Adamu Bello, Isiaku Lawal and Muazu Abubakar told newsmen that the need for money propelled them to commit the crime, adding that 25 of them perpetrated the crime.
“We Twenty-five of us carried out the operation. We kidnapped 136 students and I got N100,000 share from the money,” Abubakar a 27-year-old suspect, said.
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The arrest of the three kingpins comes just days after the Nigerian Police nabbed one Usman Abubakar who allegedly has links with recent attacks on Greenfield University, Bethel Baptist Academy and School of Forestry Mechanisation, Mando, Kaduna.”
A total of 121 students of Bethel School were forcefully taken away from their hostels on July 5 when the school came under attack by the assailants.
The bandits later released 28 of them on July 25, after a ransom was reportedly paid to them.
Thereafter, 15 additional students regained freedom from the captivity of their abductors on August 22.
More students were later freed, and the release of the new batch of students on Saturday brings the total number of students who have regained freedom so far to 100.
However, 21 other students of the school are held back in the custody of the bandits.
What you should know
The spate of kidnapping for ransom payment spiked recently in Kaduna, with schoolchildren as targets for bandits.
Although authorities in the state have insisted that they will neither negotiate nor pay any money to the criminals, those whose families are victims have had a contrary view.
For such people, they are ready to consider all options that can lead to the release of their loved ones, not ruling out the payment of ransom.
Kaduna is not the only state battling banditry. These criminals have also attacked schools in other parts of the North West and North Central, with Zamfara among the worst-hit states.
