Gunmen who abducted 121 schoolchildren of Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna on Monday have demanded food to feed them.
This was as security forces claimed they were stepping up efforts to free the hostages.
“The kidnappers have made contact with the school and it was confirmed that 121 students were abducted while 28 were rescued and have been released to their parents,” said Wakili Madugu, vice-principal of the school.
He told the AFP that the gunmen were asking for food for the hostages who are likely being held in one of the armed group’s forest hideouts while the kidnappers try to pressure officials for ransom payments.
“The kidnappers have asked for food — rice, beans, oil and seasoning to feed the students,” he said.
“Right now, the school authorities are meeting with the security agents to determine the next line of action,” he said.
Heavily armed gangs stormed the school early on Monday and abducted 121 students while 28 escaped from their clutches.
School officials had initially said 140 students were taken while 26, including a teacher, were rescued.
It was the latest in a string of mass abductions of students for ransom in the state.
Students of Federal Forestry College and Greenfield University had suffered similar abductions.
Five of the Greenfield students were killed by the bandits when the state government shunned their demand for ransom.
