42 persons abducted by armed bandits on Feb. 17 at the Government Science College, Kagara in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger, have regained freedom.
Mary Noel-Berje, the spokesperson to the governor of Niger state, confirmed in a statement that “kidnapped students, staff and family members of the Government Science College Kagara have regained freedom and received by the Niger state government”.
The students who were received by the Chief of Staff to the governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Balarabe, in Minna amidst tight security were taken to the Niger State Development Company suite to freshen up before being taken to the government house to be received by the governor.
Journalists were barred from entering into where the victims were being kept.
During the abduction, a school pupil was killed and 27 others, three members of the school’s staff, and 12 of their relatives were also abducted around 3 a.m.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday welcomed the release of students, school staff and family members of school staff abducted by gunmen in Niger state, a north-central state of the country last week.
In a statement issued by his spokesman Garba Shehu, President Buhari commended the nation’s security and intelligence agencies and the government of Niger state for their responses in securing the release.
“We are happy they have been released,” Buhari said while sympathizing with the staff and the students, their parents and friends on this ordeal”, the statement added.
He warned that the country will not continue to suffer these attacks that threaten the growth of education, security and the life of the future leaders at the same time putting the nation in a negative light.
Buhari also reiterated his earlier advice to school owners, particularly the state and local governments, as well as religious organizations to scale up security around their schools.
The Nigerian leader again condemned the school abductions, with the latest one at the Government Girls Secondary School at Jangebe town in the northwest state of Zamfara on Friday.
He directed all security and intelligence agencies in the country to “hunt down the culprits and bring them to justice”.
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