Seven out of the 317 female students abducted by brigands from the Government Girls’ Secondary School, Jangebe in Zamfara State yesterday escaped from their abductors.
It was gathered that the girls returned home on their own as they claimed they manoeuvred their way back from the bandits while trekking along the forest.
According to a source, the escapees said more had also escaped and were expected back soon.
It would be recalled that bandits in Hilux vehicles and a number of motorcycles had raided the all-female boarding school early Friday and kidnapped the girls, marking the third mass abduction of children since December in Nigeria.
The assailants, it was gathered, struck the school in a predawn ambush, teachers and residents said, waking up the town as shots rang out.
By daylight the police said 317 girls were taken away by the marauders.
Meanwhile, the inspector general of police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, said he had dispatched two helicopters and operatives for the rescue of the girls.
He also said the military, police and the Department of State Services (DSS) operatives had commenced a coordinated search towards the rescue of the schoolgirls.
Spokesman for the force headquarters Mr. Frank Mba, in a statement entitled, ‘Police commence coordinated search and rescue operation for abducted Zamfara schoolgirls,’ said the deployment was in addition to the personnel of Operation Puff Adder II earlier drafted to Zamfara State to support efforts by the command to combat banditry, kidnappings and other related crimes.
He said the rescue operation involved the deployment of both ground and aerial assets, aimed at locating and rescuing the students.
“To ensure the success of the ongoing operation, the Inspector-General of Police, M.A. Adamu, has ordered the immediate deployment of two operational surveillance helicopters in Zamfara State,” the statement added.
He said Adamu had given the assurance that “the police and other security forces will not relent until the abducted pupils are successfully rescued and reunited with their families.”
“The joint rescue operation is being carried out by the police, the military and other members of the law enforcement community with support from the state government and other stakeholders.
“The IGP has called for calm and enjoins members of the public, particularly the people of Zamfara State not to hesitate in availing the police and the law enforcement community with useful information that can assist in the rescue of the abducted school girls,” Mba added.
Meanwhile, the governor of Zamfara State, Dr Bello Matawalle has engaged Auwal Daudawa, who, in December 2020, masterminded the abduction of over 300 students at Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, to help plead with the Jangebe kidnappers.
Daudawa, who hails from Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, had earlier accepted the Matawalle amnesty with some of his gang members.
They also submitted their arms and ammunition, with a promise to support Matawalle’s push against banditry.
Sources said Daudawa is familiar with the bandits who whisked away the Jangebe schoolgirls and that Matawalle called him yesterday with a plea to speak to the abductors to drop their guns and free the girls without any ransom.
Another source said Matawalle, after enlisting Daudawa to have the girls freed, also called another notorious bandit, Zakoa Buhari, to join the pressure on the Jangebe kidnappers.
Zakoa Buhari, the son of dreaded bandit, Tsoho Buhari, notoriously known as ‘Buharin Daji’ had also repented and surrendered his weapons to the Zamfara state government recently.
“The Zamfara governor is asking for the help of these repentant bandits because they can easily influence the abductors of the schoolgirls to release them without bloodshed. One thing you can’t take away is that Daudawa and Zakoa Buhari know most of these bandits. They will be very useful in the push to free these girls peacefully. This is why Matawalle engaged them,” said the source.
Meanwhile, Matawalle said boarding schools would remain closed till the security situation in the state improves.
“We have no alternative but to close down all boarding schools so as to douse the fear being entertained by parents and guardians due to the recent abduction of the schoolgirls in Jangebe.
“We are, however, doing everything possible to rescue the children and reunite them with their families,” he added.
