The bandits that kidnapped 16 students from a Qur'anic school in Sokoto State have requested a ransom of N20 million.

The owner of the school, Liman Abubakar, disclosed this information to reporters on Tuesday.

The students were taken from Gidan Bakuso in Gada Local Government Area of the state over the weekend as they sought refuge in their rooms during the attack on the community.

Abubakar said: “I received two calls from them this morning (Tuesday). In the first call, they asked me whether I don’t care about the plight of my students, and that was why I didn’t contact them. I told them I didn’t have their contact.

“They then asked me to wait for another call around 11 am. Some minutes after 11 am, they called again and directed me to meet our village head and tell him to raise N20 million for the children.

“I wanted to plead with them but they said they would not reduce anything from the money. I went and discussed the matter with the village head but we are yet to reach a conclusion.”