BAPTIST SCHOOL STUDENTS PARENTS PANIC AS BAND ITS THREATEN STARVATION, DEMAND 30 BAGS OF RICE

The parents and management of the Bethel Baptist High School, Maraban Rido, Kaduna State, have raised money to buy foodstuffs being demanded by abductors of the 121 students of the school.

A father of one of the abductees, who spoke to one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity on Thursday, said the school asked parents to pay any amount they could afford.

These came to the fore on Thursday as The PUNCH learnt that the bandits contacted the school management on Wednesday evening and specified the number of foodstuffs they wanted.

An official, who consided in one of our correspondents, said the bandits said the parents must supply 30 bags of rice, 20 bags of beans, and 10 kegs of palm oil.

Recall that the bandits had at 1am on Monday invaded the school and kidnapped 121 students, who are mostly in Senior Secondary School 2 and 3.

Tuesday reported that the bandits contacted the school management and demanded food to feed the abductees.

The Vice Principal of the school, Wakili Madugu, during an interview on Nigeria Info Abuja 95.1FM on Thursday, which was monitored by The PUNCH, confirmed the quantity of food the bandits were demanding.

Madugu said the gunmen rejected nine bags of rice as well as other food items offered by the school.

Madugu said he received a call at 7.30am on Tuesday shortly after the students had been abducted and were assured of their safety.

He further stated that the bandits said authorities had blocked their access to food and therefore demanded that the school and the parents make food items available.

The vice-principal stated, "They said we should bring 10 bags of imported rice, 20 bags of local rice, 20 bags of beans and then 10 cartons of Maggi (seasoning) and then 10 kegs of oil as well as two bags of salt. These were the items they demanded."

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