The parents of the students and staff of Greenfield University, Kaduna have narrated the troubles they went through to sell property and borrow money to secure the release of their family members.
The students and 1 staff were kidnapped by bandits and held hostage for nearly 40 days.
While some parents initially said the total sum paid to secure the release of their wards was N180 million, the husband of the kidnapped staff member said that they contributed N150 million in total.
The students were dropped by the Kaduna highway after the money and 8 motorbikes were given to the kidnappers.
Government officials who had come to take the released captives to the government house for the normal protocols, were chased away by the parents
The parent demanded why the officials were showing up only after self efforts secured the return of their children and wife.
According to them, parents representatives went on their own to pick the students by the roadside where they were dropped since government assistance was not forthcoming, so “why show up now ?” a parent asked.
Government, according to them did not assist them financially or with negotiations of any kind, forcing them to crowdfund to pay the ransom.
The students of Greenfield University in Kaduna were abducted in April from their hostels. The kidnappers initially demanded N800 million but neither the school nor the parents were able to pay initially.
The setback caused the bandits to kill 5 of the students and dump their corpses near the school premises. They threatened to kill more if the money was not paid in full.
Negotiations with the parents brought the sum to N200 million plus 10 Honda motor cycles.
It was indeed a happy ending going by the video footage by Channels Television of the happy parents when eventually their children returned.
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14 of the Abducted Students of Greenfield University Regain Freedom