authorities or journalists in case of reprisals from the kidnappers. "If they hear you say anything about them, before you know it they'll come for you. They'll come to your house and take you into the bush," one of them told the BBC. For his safety, the BBC is not identifying him and is calling him Aliyu.

His young son is one of more 300 students abducted when armed men stormed the grounds of St Mary's Catholic School in Papiri village in the central state of Niger in the early hours of 21 November. Some of the children taken are as young as five years old. About 250 are still reportedly missing, though state officials have said this number is exaggerated.

The incident is part of a recent wave of mass abductions in north and central Nigeria - some of which have been blamed on criminal gangs, known locally as "bandits", who see kidnapping for ransom as a quick and easy way to make money. "Our village is remote, we are close to the bandits," explained Aliyu, whose son is still among the missing.

"It's a three-hour drive to where they hide. We know where they are, but we can't go there ourselves, it's too dangerous." He is desperate with worry - especially as vulnerable captives kept in forest hideouts have died during previous abductions, whether from sickness or because ransoms have not been paid. "I feel so bitter and my wife hasn't eaten for days... We're not happy at all. We need someone to help us to take action." (BBC)