Gunmen suspected to be bandits had on Monday, July 5, invaded the school and abducted scores of students.
Parents of the 121 abducted Bethel Baptist School, Maramara, in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, shunned the Eid-El Kabir celebrations and instead converged on the school’s premises, praying and fasting for the safe return of their children.
Gunmen suspected to be bandits had on Monday, July 5, invaded the school and abducted scores of students.
The affected secondary school is a boarding school located on the outskirts of Kaduna.
Parents said since the abduction of their children, they have remained sleepless.
It was learnt that Muslim parents among them shunned the celebrations and rather prayed within the school premises, as tears rolled down their cheeks.
Many parents were seen praying anxiously, while others showed faces of tiredness, looking weak and depressed.
Already, bandits have demanded for a ransom of N60 million from parents of the 121 abducted school students and same amount from the management of the school.
A parent said, “The little we can afford was rejected by the kidnappers who in turn threatened us and later gave a deadline for the payment of the ransom.”
Speaking in an interview with Daily Post, a Muslim parent, Yahaya Umar said, “I don’t even know if today is public holiday. I have been coming to this school since my child was kidnapped.
“The huge amount they (kidnappers) demanded from us, is unbearable. I have no job; what my wife is doing is what is sustaining us and paying school fees of my children, including the abducted one. What will I do now?” He said tearfully.
Also, Maryam Abdullahi, whose daughter was also abducted, said she had known no peace since her daughter was taken away.
“I have not slept up to an hour since they abducted my daughter along with others. Most times I am here, praying. What is Sallah celebration in the absence of my daughter? I am looking to God for my daughter to return,” she said.
Last week, the kidnappers released one of the abducted students who was sick after the parents paid an undisclosed amount.