Bandits Give Conditions For Release of Abducted Bethel Students

Parents of the kidnapped Bethel Baptist School students have been asked by the bandits to pay a cumulative ransom of N60 million to free the students before the end of Monday.

However, the bandits had released one of the students because of illness.

Vanguard correspondent gathered from one of the affected parents that the bandits had said if the ransom is paid accordingly, the 120 remaining students would be released immediately.

“We are already working round the clock to raise the ransom. They said if the ransom demand is met today (Monday), the students would be released on Tuesday, they promised us,” he said.

“Some amount has been gathered, but the church is trying to raise additional funds from members and well-wishers to complete the money. We the parents have already been contributing to the pool.”

“The bandits had last week released one of the students who became sick in their custody.

“He was brought back home by some other kidnapped victims who were released after their families had paid their ransom,” he said.

It was gathered that the bandits had earlier demanded hundreds of millions, but after several days of negotiations, they reduced the ransom to N500,000 per student, making it a total of N60 million.