The abducted 121 students of Bethel Baptist High School, Maraban Rido, Kaduna State, are at the risk of being starved to death by their abductors who are demanding 30 bags of rice to feed the students pending when the ransome would be paid.
Recall that the bandits had earlier refused to accept the nine bags of rice supllied by the parents, arguing that it was not enough.
However, the school management has disclosed that the parensts have raised money to buy foodstuffs being demanded by bandits.
A father of one of the abductees, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the school asked parents to pay any amount they could afford.
According to him, there was panic among the parents when they heard that the bandits threatened to starve the students if the items were not provided.
A source also disclosed that the bandits said the parents must supply 30 bags of rice, 20 bags of beans and 10 kegs of palm oil.
Recall that the bandits had, at 1am on Monday, invaded the school and kidnapped 121 students, who are mostly in Senior Secondary schools 2 and 3.
The Vice-Principal of the school, Wakili Madugu, during an interview on Nigeria Info Abuja 95.1FM on Thursday confirmed the quantity of food the bandits were demanding.
Madugu said the gunmen rejected nine bags of rice as well as other food items offered by the school.
Madugu said he received a call at 7.30am on Tuesday shortly after the students had been abducted and was assured of their safety.
He further stated that the bandits said authorities had blocked their access to food and therefore demanded that the school and the parents make food items available.
The vice-principal stated, “They said we should bring 10 bags of imported rice, 20 bags of local rice, 20 bags of beans and then 10 cartons of Maggi (seasoning) and then 10 kegs of oil as well as two bags of salt. These were the items they demanded.”
Madugu, however, said the school did not have all the items demanded because it had exhausted almost all their foodstuffs ahead of the school’s closure this week.
But the father of one of the abducted students said the school had appealed to parents to donate money that would be used to buy the foodstuffs.
The man stated, “The school has asked us to donate any amount we can afford. It is not compulsory but many parents are eager to pay because the bandits threatened to starve the children. There are fears among parents when they heard that the hoodlums threatened to starve the students.”
On Thursday evening, a source in the school said the foodstuffs had been bought and that the telephone call from the bandits was being awaited.
