Suspected bandits who abducted 15 students of an Islamiya school in Tungan-Bako, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, have demanded more than N100 million for their release.

The school’s teacher, Malam Aminu Bako, disclosed that the abductors contacted community leaders to make the ransom demand, raising concerns over the safety of the children.

Bako also released the names of the abducted students and appealed to the authorities to deploy security forces to secure their release.

He expressed concern that the school and the affected families had received little practical support since the abduction, leaving local vigilantes to lead efforts to trace the kidnappers.

According to him, the acting chairman of Rafi Local Government Area and the Divisional Police Officer were the only government officials who had visited the community since the incident.

Bako said information gathered by local vigilantes suggested that the children were still being held somewhere in Niger State, in an isolated building guarded by heavily armed men.

He called for urgent military intervention, expressing fears about the conditions in which the children were being held.

“We heard that they were still within Niger State, locked in a building, probably without food. We are worried; we want the authorities to come to our aid to rescue them,” he said.

The teacher added that parents had been putting him under pressure for updates, as uncertainty over their children's safety continued to cause anxiety.

He also criticised the absence of state government officials, saying the families needed assurance that concrete steps were being taken to secure the students' freedom.

“We are also worried that nobody has visited us from the state government, at least to give us hope that something is being done to ensure their release,” he said.

A parent, Malam Adamu, confirmed that the abductors had demanded more than N100 million from community leaders.

He explained that the bandits initially believed the victims were students of government-owned schools before being informed that they attended an Islamiya school.

“They told whoever spoke with them yesterday that the students were from government schools, so they should pay over N100 million, but they were told that the students were from Islamiya schools,” he said.

Adamu appealed to the Niger State Government to provide security support, stressing that the community could not depend solely on local vigilantes to secure the children's release.

“This is not the time to leave us to only the vigilantes,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Homeland Security, Justin Maurice Magaji, could not be reached for comments as he and other government officials were attending a State Executive Council meeting.

The Niger State Police Command, however, confirmed the abduction.

Its Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said suspected bandits invaded Tungan-Bako village and abducted people working on a farm.

He said police reports indicated that about 14 of the victims were students of an Islamiya school who were assisting their teacher with maize harvesting.

Abiodun added that joint security operations were ongoing to rescue the victims, although residents maintained that local vigilantes were the only security personnel actively searching for the abductors in the area.

 Names of the Abducted Students

The teacher provided the following names of the 15 students reportedly abducted while harvesting maize on his farm:

1. Hassana Isah
2. Aliya Ahmad
3. Hajara Musa
4. Hauwa’u Abubakar
5. Halima Yahaya
6. Asma’u Jamilu
7. Radiya Salisu
8. Aminatu Salisu
9. Aisha Bello
10. Rahinatu Sani
11. Aminatu Alhassan
12. Nafisa Ayuba
13. Bilkisu Adamu
14. Salaha Abdullahi
15. Hajara Salisu

The abduction has heightened concerns among residents and the victims' families, who are calling for urgent government intervention to ensure the safe return of the children.