Citizen is a column that explains how the government’s policies fucks citizens and how we can unfuck ourselves.
What Is #Greenfielduniversity about?
On April 20, 2020, 22 students and one staff member of Greenfield University, Kaduna state, were kidnapped by unidentified bandits, in what has been a recent spike in cases of abduction and killings in the country. On April 23, three days after this incident, three of those students were killed, with two more murdered on April 26.
And now, the bandits, according to reports from major news networks, are threatening to kill the remaining people ( now 17 )who are still in their custody if a ₦100 million ransom along with 10 Honda motorcycles are not provided by Tuesday, May 4, 2021.
The threat was issued, through a 3-minutes recorded audio clip, by the bandit leader Sani Idris Jalingo (who is also known as Baleri), in an interview with Voice Of America (VOA) Hausa.
What Is The State Government Doing?
Going by existing reports, not much is known about what the Kaduna state government is doing or intends to do to ensure the safety of the Greenfield students. However, the state Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has said on April 9 that he has no intention of paying bandits or kidnappers as it is not the main objective of his administration.
While the student’s parents have been able to raise 55 million, the bandit leader, Sani claims that it was used to feed the captives and that it was not enough. In the audio recording shared on VOA Hausa, he reiterated that the killing of the five students was to emphasize the seriousness of their threat and if the rest of their demands are not met, “ the parents will pack their (students) bodies in pickups.”
How Are Nigerians Reacting To This?
Nigerians online are calling for the Kaduna state government to intervene through the #Greenfielduniversity hashtag trending on Twitter.
With many charging the government to consider negotiating with the kidnappers and ensuring the remaining Greenfield students are saved, Nigerians online are hoping that something is done before the kidnappers make do with their threats.
We will update this story as soon as we receive new information.
