MONDAY: 13th September, 2021: The 75 pupils who were abducted on September 1, 2021, from Government Day Secondary School, Kaya, in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State have regained their freedom.
The Nigerian Television Authority broke the news very early this morning via its verified Facebook page.
The Nigerian Police reported earlier that gunmen abducted more than 70 students in the country’s northwest state of Zamfara.
In a statement by Zamfara State Police spokesman, Mohammed Shehu, a large group of attackers stormed the Government Day Secondary School in the remote village of Kaya that Wednesday morning, seizing the pupils. He had given the number of seized children as 73.
“The abduction followed the invasion of the school by large numbers of armed bandits,” he had stated.
Shehu noted that Police rescue teams were working with the military to secure the release of the pupils.
The bandits later released five of the pupils within 24 hours.
Yahaya Kaya, a former councilor of Kaya ward, said that his niece was among those released by the bandits; adding that the five freed pupils had been returned to their hometown of Kaya.
Following the abduction, the Zamfara State Government ordered the instant deboarding of boarding facilities in 30 schools.
Reacting to the abduction, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), on September 3, said it was horrified by yet another attack on an educational institution in Nigeria.
In a Press release distributed by the APO Group, the UN agency stated that “Of the abducted students, 23 students escaped and returned home, two of them with bullet wounds. The abducted students are aged between 14 and 19.”
“We strongly condemn this attack, which has happened just a few days after kidnapped students of a school in Niger State, north-central Nigeria, were freed,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria. “We call on the authorities to take expedited action to rescue these students and reunite them with their families.”
“We reiterate that attacks on schools and abduction of learners are a gross violation of children’s rights, and a horrific experience for children to go through – one which could have long-lasting effects on their mental health and overall well-being,” said Peter Hawkins.
“Schools must be safe; no child should experience any harm because they went to school, and no parent should come to grief for sending their children to learn,” said Hawkins.
