Parents of the 29 students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation Afaka, Kaduna still in captivity have threatened to storm the National Assembly if the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), which supervises the college, fails to secure their release by Thursday midnight.
Ten of the 39 students abducted have been released by the abductors in two batches of five each.
The bandits on Tuesday released another video of the students pleading with the government and their parents to pay ransom to the kidnappers to free them.
They said most of them were already sick due to the dehumanising conditions they were subjected to.
In a statement by their chairman, Usman Abdullahi, the parents said they were depressed by the continued captivity of their children, whom were suffering severe maltreatment in the hands of their abductors.
The parents, who rose from their meeting on Monday, April 26, gave the FRIN 72 hours, which expires on midnight of Thursday to secure release of the abductees.
According to them: “As at the afternoon of Thursday, April 29, there was no inkling of hope from any government quarters, suggesting any time for the release of the 29 remaining abductees.
“At the National Assembly, the aggrieved parents would seek the intervention of the Federal Parliamentarians to query the Minister of Environment whose ministry oversees the affairs of FRIN, which in turn oversees the affairs of the College where their children were abducted, over the continued captivity of the children.
“Since the 10 students were released in two batches of 5 each, the parents have been condemned to excruciating trauma over the continued captivity of their children, especially as they have been left to fight alone for the release of the children without any iota of concern shown by the FRIN towards securing their release.
“The parents also expressed their outrage over the way the 10 released students are left to cater for themselves without any care whatsoever, especially in terms of medical checkup from any arm of government, as against the claim for such care by government.
“The parents of the 10 released students, who have vowed not to back out of the struggle for the release of the remaining 29, have had to go in and out of hospital to take further care of their children’s health at their own personal cost.
“This development is unacceptable as it shows abdication of responsibility by those in whose custody the students were before their abduction.
“Knowing the struggle, the parents of the 10 students so far released are going through to keep their children in good health and sound mind, the parents of the students still in captivity, while awaiting the release of their own children, demand compensation from FRIN for the students already released and a similar demand will be made for those that will be released later for their proposed rehabilitation.”
Source: The Nation
