Abductors of Kogi varsity students demand ₦50m ransom

Two students of Kogi State University, Kabba (KSUK) have been kidnapped and a ransom of ₦50 million demanded for their release.

The students were abducted last Friday, the same day the Caretaker Chairman of Kabba/Bunu Council, Dare Michael, and his aides were taken hostage.

While the chairman was released due to health challenges, the three aides and the two students remain in captivity.

The kidnappers initially demanded ₦100 million for the chairman’s aides but have now reduced the ransom to ₦50 million for the students.

A distraught parent, Shadrach Babalola, whose son Isaac Babalola and his friend Joel Bamiyo are among the victims, described the ordeal as harrowing.

He revealed that the kidnappers have been unrelenting in their demands, dismissing the parents’ plea for a reduced ransom.

“Anytime they (kidnappers) call and ask for ₦50 million and we tell them we don’t have such amount, they tell us we are not serious about the lives of our wards,” Channels Tv quoted him as saying.

“The last time they called and we told them what we could afford, they told us point blank to take the money and buy Maggi to make soup for ourselves.”

The state government has been urged to intervene in the matter and secure the release of the students.

However, the Kogi State Police Command claims to be unaware of the students’ abduction, raising concerns about the handling of the case.

The university has also remained silent on the incident.