The kidnappers of students of Greenfield
University, Kasarami, in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have
established contact with some parents of their victims, demanding for N800m for
the release of the kidnapped students.
The students and a matron were abducted on
Tuesday around about 8.45pm, claimed the life of a porter with the institution;
the only privately-owned university in the state.
Our correspondent, who was in the
university community after the incident, gathered that but for the timely
intervention of the operatives of the Operation Thunder Strike, the bandits, said
to be between ages 17 and 20 years old, would have taken away more students.
The state Police Public Relations Officer,
Mohammed Jalige, confirmed the attack, saying, “There was an attack yesterday
(Tuesday) in Greenfield University along Kaduna-Abuja road around 20:15 hours.”
One of the parents of the kidnapped
students, who spoke on condition of anonymity on Monday, told our correspondent
that the bandits asked for the said amount for the release of the unspecified
number of students abducted on Tuesday night.
“I don’t know what we are to pay
individually but collectively, they said N800m,” he said.
An official of the school told our
correspondent that no fewer than 19 students were still unaccounted for.
Kaduna identifies murdered varsity staff
In a related development, the state
Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, who
confirmed the attack, identified the employee of the university killed as Mr.
Paul Ude Okafor.
Aruwan stated this in a statement titled,
‘Bandits attack Greenfield University; one varsity staff member killed’.
He said, “After search-and-rescue
operations, a staff member of the university, Paul Ude Okafor, was confirmed to
have been killed by the bandits, while a number of students were kidnapped.”
Bandits are teenagers – Student
Meanwhile, one of the students, who
narrowly escaped being kidnapped alongside his schoolmates at the Greenfield
University along Kaduna-Abuja highway, said the bandits that raided their
school “are just small boys.”
The student, who did not want his name
mentioned because of the sensitive nature of the matter, said the ages of the
bandits that raided the school were between 17 and 18 years.
He said but for the weapon the bandits had,
the students would have engaged them.
According to him, the bandits stormed the
institution from directions between 8.30pm and 9pm on Tuesday.
He said, “We were already in the hostel
when it happened. The bandits came from different directions and entered our
school. They just surrounded us and started chasing us. They hit some of the
students and came to our hostel and killed our porter.
“They forced some doors open and picked
some people. They were just shooting indiscriminately. The funniest thing is
that they are between ages 17 and 18 years. But for the sophisticated weapons,
we would have fought back.”
Soldiers disagree with police
There was, however, a drama on Wednesday
following the confirmation by the state Police Command’s of the abduction of
the students of the Greenfield University.
It was learnt that some of the soldiers at
the camp were unhappy that the state police command claimed the credit for the
rescue of some of the students.
One of the commanders, who led the
operation, on sighting newsmen, said, “You the media, you are writing that the
police carried out the operation. The police are claiming the credit of what
they didn’t do or know anything about at all.
“I have not slept since 2am (early hours of
Wednesday) and you guys are writing that police rescued the students.”
Another solder said, “When we brought them
(students), our commander ordered that we bring food for them and they ate. We
also cooked for those that are fasting (Muslim). Where were the police? That’s
why we don’t like seeing them.”
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