Abducted Students: Give Us More Time For Negotiation, Parents Plead With Bandits
The National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, has appealed to the bandits who abducted some students of Greenfield University, Kaduna State to allow more time for negotiation that will lead to the peaceful resolution of the crisis at hand.
The National President of NAPTAN, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, who spoke in an interview on Tuesday, also pleaded with the bandits not to allow the faceoff between them and the Kaduna State Government push them into taking irrational action. Danjuma also called on the bandits to fear God and not kill the innocent students.
He spoke in reaction to the threat by the bandits that unless a ransom of N100 million is paid by Tuesday, the remaining 17 students in their custody would be killed.
“For me, I think the government should have a rethink about their decision not to dialogue or negotiate with the bandits. My position is based on the fact that entering into dialogue with them may not necessarily mean that government must have to pay them money. It could be an avenue to know their grouse and why they have such grouse with whosoever or whatsoever they have such.
“Assuming that the bandits even want to be paid some money, if the government is not interested in paying any money, let the government allow the parents to raise the money and pay. I heard that the parents had raised and paid the bandits over N50 million though I was not privy to that.
“The government cannot just stay aloof and not do anything. Are the children of government officials among the innocent students being traumatised? The answer may be probably no. I plead with the bandits on behalf of all Nigerian parents to spare the lives of these children. They should not allow their faceoff with the government to push them to do evil. None of the children of the governor is among the victims.
“The bandits should also fear God and spare these children. The shedding of innocent blood should stop. We cannot continue this way. We are not only killing education in the country, we are hurting and putting the future of Nigeria in jeopardy, ” he said. Recall that on April 20, this year, some students and a staff member of Greenfield University, Kaduna State were abducted and some days later, five of them were killed.
On Monday, the group threatened to kill the remaining 17 unless they are paid N100 million ransom and provided with 10 brand new motorcycles by Tuesday.
