Parents and family members of the prospective corps members from Akwa Ibom State, who were kidnapped on 17 August 2023, while travelling to orientation camp in Sokoto State are currently gripped with fear as the abductors demand that they pay N10 million each as ransom for the release of the victims.
One of the victim’s family members, Mr Mfon Friday, told Vanguard, yesterday, in Uyo so far, a total sum of N30.8 million ransom has been paid to the abductors.
Friday who spoke angrily over the untold hardship the parents were currently facing as a result of their children’s abduction, recalled that the parents had initially paid the sum of N13.6 million and towards the end of last month (October), another sum of N17.2 million was also paid, yet those children were not released.
He lamented: “As we speak, our children are still in Zamfara bush, including the driver of AKTC and it is over 100 days when they were kidnapped. When they called on Monday, the kidnappers said parents should pay another N70 million.
“Remember the first ransom the parents paid was over N13 million and it was paid collectively. But this time, they want the parents to pay N10 million each. Before the end of October, N17 million was paid, making it about N30.8 million so far paid, yet they didn’t free those children.
“They only released one of the girls. And Monday this week, when they contacted us, they demanded N10 million from each family. How are we going to raise that kind of money? Those people failed to understand that those children are not from rich families.
“They even threatened to leave those children to die if the parents don’t pay the ransom very soon. I am very, very angry. Why can’t our government, the federal and state governments, do something to save the lives of those young graduates? In fact, when the parents heard that all the children were sick, you needed to see how they were crying, especially the mothers.
“They are not children of Policemen, the Army and politicians that is why they have been allowed to remain in kidnappers den till today? We are praying that nothing happens to them. And I am using this platform to appeal for urgent help from every well-meaning citizen of this country so that these children will not die in the kidnappers’ den”.
One of the victim’s siblings, who spoke to Vanguard in confidence after the affected families met in Uyo on Tuesday disclosed that the abductors were paid the N17.2 million ransom before they released the female victims last month, who they gathered was seriously sick.
“In fact, I learned that the remaining seven have also fallen seriously sick and that is why the kidnappers are demanding this huge ransom and threatening that if we don’t pay very soon, those children will die. I am scared, I don’t want my sister to die. We are orphans, we struggled to go to school”, she lamented.
