The bandits, who abducted 20 children from Kusherki in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger state, are demanding a ransom of N40million for their release.
The children, who are said to have been in captivity for over 20 days, are between ages 4 and 10 years.
A resident of the community, Auwal Usman, in a telephone interview on Tuesday said the young children are faced with untold hardship in the hands of their abductors.
He said, “These 20 children are really young and can’t even take care of themselves.
They are between 4 to 10 years old.”Usman further stated that among the abducted children are four males and 16 females.
The Commissioner of Internal Security and Humanitarian Affairs, Mr Emmanuel Umar, said that the state government is doing everything possible to ensure that the children are released unhurt.
“The state government is doing everything within its powers to ensure that these children are united with their families safely”
“The security agencies are also doing their best and we are sure that we will be victorious in the end,” he added.
