Bandits who kidnapped 27 students and 15 workers of Government Science College, Kagara, Niger State, have threatened to starve the pupils to death if the government delays in paying ransom.
In an audio recording posted online by the Islamic Cleric, Sheik Ahmad Gumi, one of the abductors who spoke in Hausa, issued the threat, adding that security agencies will find it difficult to rescue the schoolchildren.
The abductor who was supposedly discussing with a negotiator identified by Gumi as a top official of the school, reportedly rejected N2.7million offered him as ransom for the 27 abductees.
“I don’t have food for them. If anybody dies among them, we will tell you where to go and pick the corpse.
“You know these children are hungry. I don’t have food to give them, only water. If they are going to die, let them die.”
“You think I don’t know what you people are doing? I can tell you how many security vehicles are in Kagara as we speak.
“It is with the help of the people of the city that intruders can overrun the city. Don’t you know that? The person who gave us this business is there among you. He is there with you. Wherever you go, he is watching you. If you want to do this deal, go ahead. From God we come and to him we will return.
“Even if you put together the entire security forces of Nigeria in Kagara, I have eyes all over Kagara. Whichever step you take in Nigeria, I swear, I will know. You people are saying they should not pay us, that if they pay us, we will use to money to buy weapons.
“With whose money did we buy our weapons? If we don’t have weapons, you will just send security agents to kill us and take the children,” the bandit threatened.
Berating governors who said they should not be paid ransom, he said: “Governors are saying we should not be given money because we are going to use it to buy guns; guns that Allah provides and you are boasting about.
“Your deploying security officials in Kagara is a waste of time. Is there a fence in this forest? You know we are not in the cities, we are in the forest”.
