Abductors of pupils of Bethel Baptist High School, in Kaduna State, have said they have 121 of them in their custody.
President of Kaduna Baptist Conference and Proprietor of the school, Rev. Yahaya Adamu Jangado, revealed this to newsmen.
Rev. Jangado announced this while addressing reporters, on Tuesday, after a meeting of the management and parents of the abducted students in Kaduna.
According to him, “They came and, already, the bandits were going away with a number of our students and there was an exchange of fire between the soldiers and the bandits.
“In the process, we lost two of the security operatives.
“For now, we know that we have 154 students in the school hostel, as at yesterday (Monday), after the exchange of fire between the soldiers and the bandits.
“We came to the school and recovered 28 students; some of them hid in many places.
“In the course of taking them away, some students escaped and came back to the school.
“So, the total number of students we recovered on Monday was 28.
“Today (Tuesday), by the grace of God, we had a call from the bandits and they assured us that our children are well and doing okay.
“In fact, we had the privilege of speaking with a few of them.
“They counted themselves in the jungle and they gave us information that they are 121.
“When we put the number together with what we have recovered, we discovered that the number is exactly the same with the number of students we had in the hostel.”
On ransom demand, Jangado said: “They (bandits) called us to say that our children are there with them and that they were doing well.
“They were sound.
“We spoke with a few of them.
“That is the information for now.
“We called the parents here to appreciate them for their patience, understanding and calmness and also solicit their support in this trying moment.
“We assure them that as management we will do anything possible to bring back their children.”
