Ahmad Gumi, prominent Islamic cleric, has asked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to pay the N100 million demanded by the abductors of Greenfield University students, Kaduna state.
Several students were abducted on April 18 when gunmen attacked the school.
The kidnappers have since killed five of the students and threatened to kill 17 of them still in captivity if a ransom of N100 million and 10 motorcycles are not delivered to them.
Gumi who featured on Africa Independent Television (AIT) on Tuesday, had said no amount of money is too big to pay as ransom to get the students released.
“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?” he had asked.
Reiterating his stance in an interview with PUNCH, Gumi called on the federal government to “bring the money” from the CBN.
“The money they are asking for is too much; if I give you that money, you cannot run away with it. Nobody can run. So, why not give them the money, they release the boys and then we pursue them and get our money back and do what is necessary; it is simple logic, ” he said.
“So, bring the money from the central bank. How can they move that money? We should not be stupid.
“These people are getting infiltrated; Boko Haram is getting close and they don’t respect the clergy.
“I need support to get them inoculated against the infiltration of these ideologies, whether Boko Haram or Ansaru, whatever it is.
“We need to shield them because they are naive. If there is too much pressure on them, and they see help from Boko Haram, who are richer and have more weapons, it is going to consume everybody.”