Abductors of a University of Abuja Professor of Economics, Joseph Obansa, and five others are asking N50 million per head to free them, it has emerged.
A mother of one of the young men abducted was said to have received a call from the gunmen.
A source, who disclosed there is no evidence the university management was involved in the negotiations, was quoted in The Nation newspaper as saying: “The kidnappers contacted the woman whose son is with them. They allowed her to speak with the boy then they told her what their demands are.
“The kidnappers asked for N50 million each for the six persons kidnapped.”
“They contacted the woman whose child they abducted and they permitted her to speak to her son.
“They refused to speak with individual family members.
“It is not advisable for the university to get involved directly. That is the truth.
“If the families are negotiating they may even get a better deal so to speak. If it is the university that is negotiating with them you know that they will not budge.
“It is better for the families to negotiate, when they come down then the university can do whatever it dims fit to do. I think that is the strategy,” a media report said.
In the early hours of Tuesday, the gunmen invaded the University’s staff quarters in Giri and abducted the six.
About 20 gained access to the staff quarters from the east end of the permanent site of the university, close to the mountains, pulled down the fence and attacked houses in the area.