One out of the 17 abducted Greenfield University students has been released by their captors on Tuesday. The bandits' leader, Sani Idris Jalingo, popularly known as Baleri, had on Monday in an interview with Voice of America (VOA) Hausa confirmed that 17 students, including 15 females and two males, were remaining in their custody after killing five penultimate weeks. Baleri threatened the 17 students would be killed if N100 million and 10 Honda brand motorcycles, popularly known as Boko Haram, were not delivered to his gang as ransom by the end of Tuesday 4th May.
Mrs. Lauritta Attahiru mother of the freed student, on Tuesday, confirmed the release of her child. Though she declined to give details of how her son was released or whether ransom was paid.
Although police and government authorities were yet to confirm the development, unconfirmed reports revealed that a ransom of N20 million was paid for the student’s release.
Some of the victim's parents also confirmed the student was released after his mother, who is the wife of a retired Army officer, negotiated and paid ransom to the bandits privately.
The parents further confirmed the bandits had earlier negotiated with them individually, asking each of them to pay as high as N20 million before they eventually demanded a bulk of N100 million and ten motorcycles on Monday, May 3.
The parents of the remaining students still in captivity have continued to impress on the government and Nigerians to come to their aid and secure the release of their children.