Nigeria: Here’s everything we know about the kidnap and killing of Greenfield University students
A total of five students kidnapped with 23 others from Greenfield University, Kaduna State, have been killed by their abductors in less than 72 hours.
According to a statement by the university, 20 students and three staff were kidnapped by gunmen from the university around 8:15 pm on Tuesday, April 22, 2021, while a staff member of the institution was killed during the raid.
The attack on the private university, just two years after receiving its operating license from the Nigerian University Commission (NUC), is the latest in the series of escalating attacks on schools and abduction of students in the northern part of Nigeria.
Amnesty International says about 600 schools have been shut in the north over the threat of further attacks.
On Tuesday, April 27, the Kano state government announced the closure of Bagauda Technical College and evacuation of students with immediate effect over the fear of possible attack that has spread from Zamfara to Kaduna, Niger, and Katsina.
Some analysts say the increasing attacks on schools in the north may discourage parents from sending their students to school when normalcy finally returns and reduce school attendance.
Nigeria presently has 10.1 million out-of-school children, according to the Ministry of Education. UNICEF says one in every five of the world’s out-of-school children is in Nigeria.
What the kidnappers want:
The university registrar, Bashir Muhammad, in a statement said the kidnappers are demanding a ransom of N800 million before releasing the abducted staff and students.
What is the government doing?
The Kaduna state government has repeatedly said it will not negotiate with or pay ransoms to bandits targeting educational institutions.
Governor Nasir El-Rufai said even if his son is kidnapped, he will not pay ransom to secure his release.
Although the Nigerian government always denies paying ransom to kidnappers, some of the over 300 schoolboys abducted from the Government Day Secondary School, in Kankara, Katsina state in December 2020, said their kidnappers told them a ransom was paid for their release.
A report by a Lagos-based political risk analysis firm, SB Morgen (SBM) Intelligence, says between June 2011 and March 2020, at least $18.34m was paid to kidnappers as ransom, mostly by families and the government.
What is the University doing?
With the government insisting it would not negotiate with the abductors, we do not know the amount of effort the school authorities are putting into rescuing other students and staff, but the University appears to be helpless.
In a statement on Saturday, April 24, 2021, the management called on the government to come to its aid in rescuing the students and staff.
The University Registrar, Bashir Muhammad, told Neusroom on Tuesday, that the security operatives are better positioned to comment on the efforts being made to rescue those who are still in captivity.
Asked if the school management also aligns with the position of the government not to pay ransom to free the abductees, Muhammad said “you people should help us reach out to the government to assist us in this regard [rescue the students].”
Buhari condemns killing of students but Nigerians want more
President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the killing of Greenfield University students. He also assured that “Banditry, kidnapping and the politics of murders will be fought with all the resources available to our country.” But many Nigerians say the president’s statement is not enough.
Nigerians are worried and angry
Reports of the killing of Greenfield University students have evoked anger in the country.
Many Nigerians are worried that the nation is fast drifting into anarchy with splinter terror groups wreaking havoc on different parts of the country. They wonder how long it would take the government to put an end to the security crisis.
U.S warns citizens about traveling to Nigeria
On Tuesday, April 22, the day the university was attacked, the U.S government issued an advisory warning its citizens to “reconsider travel to Nigeria due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and maritime crime.”
Some of the areas listed in the advisory include “Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states due to terrorism and kidnapping, Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, and Zamfara states due to kidnapping, Coastal areas of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, and Rivers states (with the exception of Port Harcourt) due to crime, kidnapping, and maritime crime.”
