Abducted schoolboys of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, have said that their kidnappers demanded a total of N344 million naira N1 million per head before they were released, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.
It would be recalled that all the 344 schoolboys were released on Thursday, December 17, by the bandits who had kidnapped them on Friday, December 11.
After six nights in captivity, the students were handed to security agents on the night of Dec. 17, some 80 miles from their school, in the neighboring State of Zamfara.
The release prompted outpourings of joy and relief across the nation after fears the boys would become long-term hostages of Boko Haram.The Kankara kidnapping was resolved within a week, following a secret deal, the details of which remain a mystery.
Government officials denied paying ransom and said the kidnappers released the schoolboys because the military had surrounded them. However, three boys said their kidnappers told them they were initially paid 30 million naira, equivalent to around $76,000, but decided not to release the boys because they had demanded 344 million naira1 per head.
