Gunmen frees kidnapped students from Islamic school

A gunman in Nigeria has freed several kidnapped students. He kidnapped the pupils from an Islamic school during May. At least 136 students from the school Regina got kidnapped. A gunman kidnapped them to demand ransom.

The headteacher of the school said that a small number escaped during mid-June. There are some reports regarding the fact that six have died during captivity. Mass abduction and kidnapping for ransom are quite common in Nigeria in recent months.

Headteacher Abubakar Alhassan said that he couldn’t give an exact number of how many kidnapped students are there who have been freed. But none of them are now in captivity.

He said that the freed students have become unhealthy, exhausted, and frail; they are now under the supervision of a Hospital in the State Capital, Minna.

The parents and the school opted for raising funds to free pupils. However, the kidnappers told them that the amount was not enough.

The headteacher said that they offered more payment. They even bought a motorcycle for those who are behind this. They have tried to convince them to release the children.

Fati Abdullahi, a mother of two kidnapped daughters, said that they had freed her daughters. On 30th May, the gunmen came riding on motorcycles and opened fire. They have also killed one person while injuring another one. As people started running haphazardly, they went into the school to seize the kids.

In July, they seized a man who went to deliver a ransom payment to secure the kids. Parents and school administrators tried to sell possessions and part of the land of the school to pay the ransom. But they demanded more money.

They have abducted more than 1000 children from the schools. People are criticizing authorities regarding their failure to deal with the country’s widespread insecurities and also to do something for the kidnapped students.

Credits: BBC