In the footage, which was widely shared on Facebook, some of the students appeared visibly stressed. In a video, a kidnapped student asks the government to cooperate with their captors, while a figure in the background points a gun at his head and back.
Students were among those abducted Thursday night after gunmen attacked the Federal Forest Mechanization College in Mando, Kaduna, according to Kaduna police.
The students, who were forcibly taken from their homes – some of them in nightgowns – could be seen in the video asking the government to be diplomatic in its engagement with armed men.
The student requesting cooperation, whose last name is given as Emmanuel, also says that a forced rescue operation will have serious objections from criminal gangs. He added that “many of us here have been injured – seriously injured … time passes … most of us here have health problems.”
It was not immediately clear whether the heavily armed kidnappers, dressed in military clothes, had demanded redemption.
Muhammed Jalige, a spokesman for the Kaduna police, told CNN on Sunday that the force was not aware of the money demands made by the attackers.
“We are not aware of this. Even if they make any request, it will be through the school management,” Jalige said, while confirming the authenticity of the video.
“The video is very authentic. The bandits used one of the abducted victims to record the video,” he said.
Jalige said paying the ransom is not an option.
“No one is prepared to consider this. We are trying to fight the bandits and get the students out,” he said.
The Federal College of Forestry and Mechanization is a higher education institution located in Afaka, a forestry community close to the military barracks of the Nigerian Defense Academy. College students, aged between 19 and 25, specialize in agricultural studies.
In a statement on Friday, Samuel Aruwan, commissioner for the Kaduna State Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, said 180 students had been rescued by soldiers who “hired armed bandits.”
“The troops have successfully rescued 180 citizens; 42 women, eight cadres and 130 men … about 30 students, a mix of men and women, are still to be considered,” the statement said.
Jalige told CNN on Sunday morning that 39 students are still being held by bandits and that a rescue team is working to secure the release of the students without casualties.
“We came up with a joint operation with other sister security agencies to rescue the victims of the unharmed abduction,” a police spokesman said.
Daniel Atep, a student leader who leads an association of agricultural students in college, told CNN that he recognized almost everyone in the viral video and identified one of the captives.
“I know pretty much everyone in that video,” said Atep, which also confirmed police claims that the kidnappers used one of the victims to film the request for help.
Atep added that the school management did not take any security measures to ensure the safety of students in the dormitories, where most students live, before the attack.
Another student, Zainab Umar, told CNN that her roommate was also spotted in the video
An aide to President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday issued a statement applauding “the army’s early response that led to the rescue of 180 students, including eight staff members” and called for the safe release of the other students.
Buhari said his government would not allow the “destruction of the school system” by “bandits targeting schools.”
Kidnapping remains abundant in northern Nigeria
More than 300 schoolchildren were abducted from a school in Zamfara State, also in northwestern Nigeria, earlier this month.
At least 42 people were abducted from a state-run school last month in Kagara, Niger and later released, and more than 300 schoolchildren were taken and released later in December.
Kidnapping for ransom is widespread in parts of Nigeria and has become a major security challenge. State governors regularly pay ransoms to ensure the safety of victims, but rarely acknowledge that they do so.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari recently told state governors to review “their policy of rewarding bandits with money and vehicles”, saying the policy “could backfire with potentially disastrous consequences”. Buhari also urged governors to work hard to secure their schools.