One of the rescued pupils from Niger State, Florence Michael, has described how the abductors kept them in a bush near a river. Speaking on Monday after the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, formally handed over the 100 freed schoolchildren to the state government, she recounted that the captors provided a trampoline for them to lie on and ordered them to remain silent. “They told us if we make noise, they would beat us, and we would not go back home,” she told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Ribadu, represented by Wing Commander Abdullahi Idi Hong, said the children were rescued through coordinated operations involving the Office of the NSA, the DSS, the Armed Forces, and other security agencies. He noted that the federal government is rolling out immediate protective measures in high-risk communities while partnering with state authorities and traditional and religious leaders to develop long-term, community-based security strategies. He stressed that insecurity would not be allowed to “undermine the right of every child to education.”
Receiving the children in Minna, Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago described the operation as a major relief for parents and the state. He thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting the rescue efforts and assured that the remaining abducted pupils would be recovered soon.
The governor said the freed pupils would undergo medical examinations before being reunited with their families, adding that the state is working with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to ensure their safe return home. Security sources said the children were dropped off on Sunday evening at a location between Lumma and Wawa in Borgu LGA, from where operatives evacuated them.
President Tinubu, through his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, praised security agencies for securing the release of the 100 students. While expressing joy over their return, he urged operatives to ensure the swift rescue of the remaining 115 students and their teachers still in captivity.
Part of the presidential statement read: “I have been briefed on the safe return of 100 students from the Catholic School in Niger State. I rejoice with Governor Umar Bago and commend our security agencies for their steadfast work… My directive to our security forces remains that all the students and other abducted Nigerians across the country must be rescued and brought back home safely. We must account for all the victims.”
Tinubu added that moving forward, security agencies must work with state governors to prevent future kidnappings, "Our children should no longer be sitting ducks for heartless terrorists intent on disrupting their education and subjecting them and their parents to unspeakable trauma," he said.
Source: Daily Trust