蜜芽传媒

Nigeria's president Bola Tinubu has ordered security forces not to pay a ransom for close to 300 school pupils and school staff seized by gunmen last week in Kuriga, in Kaduna State, says the country's information minister.

The Nigerian government said it is taking very proactive steps, first to mitigate and also to stop the spread of insecurity in the country. 鈥淕overnment is working to ensure that security agencies take proactive steps to ensure this is halted significantly,鈥� the information minister, Idris Mohammed said.

That is of little comfort to the families who have heard from the armed gunmen who abducted the young people and their teachers. The kidnappers made their demands to the families this week - in a single call using the school principal's mobile phone.

Community leader Jibril Gwadabe has been telling Newsday's David Whitty what they said.

鈥淭hey are demanding one billion naira."

"They sleep under trees in the bush. The children are being moved long distances. They have told us where they are. The have given us an ultimatum of twenty days."

"On that day they were kidnapped many of the children had not even had breakfast. Many of the parents cannot afford three square meals. How can they produce one billion naira. How? How?"

(Pic: A boy holds a sign to protest against the kidnapping of hundreds of school pupils in Kuriga in Kaduna state, Nigeria; Credit: Reuters)

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