The nine abducted students of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, have been released after a week in kidnappers’ den.
The Director of Public Affairs of ABU, Mallam Auwal Umar, confirmed the development to newsmen on Sunday. He said the victims regained their freedom on Saturday.
Asked if ransom was paid by the families, Umar said, “We don’t want to go into that. Honestly, I don’t know; but all that I can confirm to you is that they have been released. They were released last night (Saturday).”
Dateline Nigeria gathered that families of the students individually paid at least N500,000 each to secure their freedom in a bush near Maru village, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
A relative of one of the students, Julius Mutum, also confirmed the release in a tweet.
He wrote, “Some of the #ABU9 including my sister have just regained their freedom. Strictly by family efforts. Thank you @TheAbusite for lending your voice when everyone, including govt and security agents, didn’t care.”
A parent, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the incident, said the bandits released his daughter after he paid N500,000.
“After negotiation, they said I should pay N1m, but I told them that I could not afford to raise that amount. I told them that I had over N500,000 and they asked me to bring it,” he said.
Also one of the relatives, who conveyed N500,000 to secure his sister’s release, said: ‘It was as if we were given the same time to bring the ransom. About 12 people were released on Saturday night among them the nine students; eight females and a male. Each family went with their ransom separately in a bag and we were all directed by the kidnappers,” he said.
Another parent, who claimed to be part of the team which delivered the ransom, said the kidnappers first directed them to Abuja Junction.
He said, “They called me yesterday (Saturday) and said if I was not able to pay N1m, they would kill the girls or marry them or use them as sex slaves.
“On arriving Kaduna, we were told that security personnel were monitoring the bandits in the bush.
“But surprisingly, the bandits called us and told us to come and wait at the Abuja Junction.
“They sent us a telephone number to call. We called the number and the person came to take us in a car. Unknown to me, the owner of the car was also a victim — his daughter was among those abducted.
“We drove along the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway; that was around 11pm, to where we delivered the ransom.”
According to one of the parent, each family negotiated with the kidnappers on the amount to be paid in order to secure the release of their children.
“Some paid N700,000, some paid N800,000 and another paid N1 million. However, we paid N800, 000 to get my niece out of the forest.”
