Nigeria vows not to pay ransom to school students' kidnappers
The Peninsula
Kaduna, Nigeria: Nigeria s president has ordered security forces not to pay a ransom for the release of more than 250 school pupils seized by gunmen l...
Kaduna, Nigeria: Nigeria's president has ordered security forces not to pay a ransom for the release of more than 250 school pupils seized by gunmen last week, the country's information minister said on Wednesday.
Relatives say the kidnappers have demanded a large payment for the return of the students abducted from their school in Kuriga village in northwestern Kaduna State on Thursday.
Criminal gangs often carry out mass kidnappings in northwest Nigeria, targeting schools, villages and highways. In the last three years, hundreds of students have been abducted.
Almost all were released for ransom payments after weeks or months in captivity at bandit camps hidden in forests.
Kidnap victims in Nigeria are often released following negotiations with the authorities, though officials deny ransom payments are made.
