The Kaduna state government has announced that two more university students have been found dead in northern Nigeria.

Three students had already been killed by kidnappers on Friday.

Twenty students were kidnapped last Tuesday along with three non-academic staff from the privately-owned Greenfield University in the Chikun area of the state.

The state government has said it is saddened by what it calls “evil perpetrated against innocent students abducted while pursuing their education for a glorious future”.

Unlike some neighbouring states, Kaduna state government has a policy of not negotiating with abductors or paying a ransom. Governor Nasir el-Rufai instead wants kidnappers arrested and prosecuted.

Mass kidnappings of students for ransom payments have been on the increase in Nigeria with authorities struggling to cope with poor security infrastructure.

Most states in the north-west have shut down schools to allow authorities time to come up with a solution to the crisis.

Source: BBC.com