The Federal Government said it could have rescued the 299 students who are still being held by bandits months after their abduction but for carefulness in dealing with the issue.
The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, who spoke on the matter on Wednesday said the Federal Government is seriously bothered about the students.
Meanwhile it was gathered that parents of 80 students of Bethel Baptist High School, Maraban Damishi, Kaduna State, who were still in bandits’ den, contributed N300,000 each on Friday for the hoodlums and it was learnt that they have promised to release the students this week after collecting the money.
FirstNews had reported that bandits on July 5 abducted over 100 students of the school.
Lamenting over the situation, Nwajiuba told PUNCH that the government had not ceased efforts to ensure the students are rescued.
According to him, “It is a security issue. You know that the Chibok girls have been held for over seven years. Kidnapping of students is a very serious matter. The government cannot unilaterally go there and start bombing everybody.
“We don’t want to lose the children. If we have gone ahead and started bombing many people, you may not even have seen some of the Chibok girls back. They would have been killed.
“The government is first of all responsible to its citizens. The fact that they are held by bandits requires more caution.”
Meanwhile, the Vice President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (19 Northern States and Abuja) and Kaduna State chairman, Rev. John Joseph Hayab, had confirmed that 80 students of the Bethel Baptist school are yet to be released by the bandits.
He said, “We still have 80 students of Baptist High School, Damishi, Kaduna with the bandits and we are appealing to all loving and caring Nigerians to pray along with us for a miracle very soon.
“Their parents and siblings want them back. The church also wants to see them back and all lovers of humanity want to hear that these children are back.”
He stated, “The kidnappers asked each parent to pay an additional N300,000 before they could release the children. We contributed the money and sent it to them on Friday last week. They promised to release the students early this week but this is Wednesday and we have yet to see any of them.
“They have not communicated with us since we gave them the money. The money was sent through the link person they selected although they assured us the children were safe. But they have reneged on their promise twice now, so we are not trusting their words again but we hope the children are safe as they assured us.”