Controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has stated that Boko Haram terrorists are the ones behind the abduction of students of Greenfield University, Kaduna.

Twenty-two students and a member of staff of the institution were abducted from the school campus along the Kaduna-Abuja highway on April 20 and within a week, five of them were killed.

In a recent interview with the Hausa Service of Voice of America (VOA), a leader of the bandit group who identified himself as Sani Idris Jalingo, threatened that if the Kaduna State Government or their families failed to pay a ransom of N100 million as well as provide them with 10 brand Honda motorcycles by Tuesday, the remaining students would be killed.

Gumi, in an interview with AIT on Tuesday, said Boko Haram members were behind the abduction.

When asked by the presenter if he indeed mentioned that Boko Haram was behind the abduction, Sheik Gumi said, ”Yes, really. When we tried to trace them and put some sense into them, the contact who is also a nomadic Fulani, they threatened him. They said if he insists on them they were going to catch him and he will have to pay a ransom before he gets out.

“And the leader is from Jalingo. He is from Adamawa. He is not the local Fulani we have here. So this means that the Northeastern element is coming into this area and we have to move fast. We don’t have that luxury of time.

“I have been trying to speak with the government but nobody is really trying to listen to me or speak with me on this issue. We are trying to pacify and remove this banditry and they are responding.”

In his reaction to the stance of the Kaduna state government against negotiating with bandits, Sheikh Gumi said, ”Five souls were killed. Why? What amount of money is too big for us to save the lives of those five students, what amount of money? Secondly, we can give them the money to get the boys out of danger then go after our money. Nobody is saying you shouldn’t find them, you can get the two back.

“To say you will not negotiate with them and also not take action against them, I cannot understand that.”