The abductors of two students from Kogi State University, Kabba (KSUK) have demanded a ₦50 million ransom for their release. The students were kidnapped last Friday at the same location and on the same day as the abduction of Dare Michael, Caretaker Chairman of Kabba/Bunu Council Area, and his three aides.
While Chairman Michael was released shortly after due to health issues that prevented him from keeping pace with the kidnappers, the three aides and the two students remain in captivity.
On Monday, the kidnappers demanded ₦100 million for the release of the chairman’s aides and have now set a ₦50 million ransom for the students.
Shadrach Babalola, the father of one of the abducted students, Isaac Babalola, who is a Public Administration student alongside his friend Joel Bamiyo, revealed that the kidnappers have been unwavering in their demands. “Every time they call, they ask for ₦50 million. When we explain that we don’t have that amount, they accuse us of not caring about our children’s lives. The last time we offered what we could afford, they mockingly told us to use the money to buy Maggi for ourselves,” Babalola recounted.
He has called on the state government to intervene, expressing the deep anxiety the families have been enduring since the incident.
Meanwhile, the Kogi State Police Command has stated they were unaware that university students were among those abducted. SP William Aya, the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, questioned why the students’ parents had not formally reported the incident to law enforcement.
The university has also remained silent, with the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Tade Oshaloto, declining to comment on the abduction.
