The governor of Niger State, Mr. Abubakar Bello, has said that the rescued victims of the Government Science College, Kagara went through a lot while in captivity.
Bello stated this in Minna when he received 42 persons, including 27 students, three school staff and 12 members of their families who regained freedom from their abductors early Saturday.
It would be recalled that the 42 persons were abducted by brigands that invaded the science school in the early hours of February 17
Channels TV reported that they were released from a location close to where the 53 abductees were released a week earlier.
“The abducted students, staff and relatives of Government Science Collage Kagara, have regained their freedom and have been received by the Niger State Government,” Bello said in a tweet.
He said the rescued victims will still undergo series of medical checks before they will be reunited with their family members.
“All the rescued victims are here with us. However, one of them is in the hospital for excessive exhaustion. Thank God they are back here with us peacefully. They have been medically checked. I believe the medical team will monitor them for a few more days,” Bello said.
He said the rescue operation was a joint effort of the government, security agencies, traditional rulers and other major stakeholders but submitted that: “There is still a lot of work before us.”
“Going forward, we are putting in place a system to look at the causes of these events,” Bello.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has welcomed the release of the abducted students.
The president, in a statement by his spokesman, Mr. Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Saturday, 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,” he said.
Buhari also sympathised with the staff and the students, their parents and friends on this ordeal.
He, however, warned that the country would 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.
The president reiterated his earlier advice to school owners, particularly the state and local governments as well as religious organisations to scale up security around their schools.
He said this should be in line with the standards laid down by the UN-backed Safe School Programme of the administration.
Buhari once again condemned the school abductions, with the latest one at the Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe in Zamfara.
According to him, he had since directed all the security and intelligence agencies in the country to hunt down the culprits and bring them to justice.
