Kazeem Owoseni
Four of the remaining eleven students of the Federal Government College, Yauri, Kebbi State, abducted by suspected terrorists in 2021, have been released by their abductors.
The four girls, who were allegedly released by a prominent commander of the Dogo Gide bandit group, regained their freedom after a ransom of undisclosed amounts of money was paid by a committee of parents, to facilitate their release, after two years in captivity.
It would be recalled that a group of terrorists attacked the FGC in Birnin Yauri, and kidnapped about 80 students and teachers, on the 17th of June, 2021.
The terrorists attacked the School in a gun battle that left many students severely injured, while a police officer lost his life, in the incident that a formal letter of the planned attack, was sent to the management of the school, by the bandit, but the school authority did not take it seriously.
However, some of the students were released based on negotiation, after the attack, while the remaining 11 students have been in captivity, ever since then.
According to the chairman of the committee of parents, who is one of the parents of the remaining 11 students, Salim Kaoje, the bandits requested N100m ransom, to be paid for the release of the girls.
However, the concerned parents had in January 2023, appealed for donations of the required amount of money from Nigeria, in an open letter, stating that the efforts to liaise with the bandit and government to intervene, proved abortive.
Meanwhile, four of the girls who got released, on Friday night, after some payments are: Faiza Ahmed, Bilha Musa Hafsa Murtala, and Rahma Abdullah.
“It took six days of negations in the forest before four of the girl were released to us. We have seven more still in captivity, and two of the parents are still in the forest trying to secure their release,” Kaoje revealed.
The chairman of the committee of parents added that after selling their properties and holding a fund-raising event where many Nigerians helped financially, they paid an undisclosed sum of money to ensure the release of the four girls.
