Expectations as school children abductors reduce ransom again

*More kids get sick

*Victims may release Friday night

Friday was exactly 15 days that some militant kidnappers, led by one General America, stormed the  Lagos State Model College, Igbonla, Epe, abducting six students.

The said America was also the brain behind the abduction of students and workers of the Nigerian Turkish College, Isheri, Ogun State.

According to sources, the abductors on Thursday night, once again reduced the ransom, finally and grudgingly accepting the N10million, which the distraught parents had been begging them to collect since this week.

It is also gathered that the children may be released between Friday night and wee hours of Saturday.

Our correspondent gathered that the kidnappers, tired of waiting for the government to pay them the whooping sum they had been demanding, decided to collect what they could and cut.

The kidnappers started their ransom demand from over a billion naira, down to N600m, then N400m and later to N100m. They later demanded for N50m, before accepting to collect the N10m, which the parents allegedly rallied to gather through loans, friends, family and cooperatives.

Their change of minds was also hinged on the fact that more of the students were alleged to have started falling sick.

One of the parents, who spoke exclusively with our correspondent on Thursday night, said the kidnappers told them that the kids were falling sick and that they didn’t have any available drugs to treat them.

The children had been repeatedly exposed to rainfall in the creeks, mosquitoes and poor feeding. It is also believe that their continual captivity in hostile environment causes trauma, making them prey to sickness.

Another parent, who also spoke exclusively with our correspondent on Thursday, said that during a phone chat with the kidnappers, they had begged that they could raise only N10million.

The pleading for N10million came after the parents presented N6million, which the kidnappers rejected.

On Thursday, New Telegraph gathered that the kidnappers demanded for N50million. But yesterday, they were said to have agreed to accept the N10million ransom.

Meanwhile, the affected parents all met at the school compound yesterday to have a meeting. As at 4pm, they were still in the meeting.

A source also: “Some of the affected parents also came to the school to collect their children’s’ books and other items.”