Hundreds of school children abducted from Kuriga School, Kaduna State, have been released, two weeks after they were taken away in what was one of Nigeria’s largest mass kidnappings in years.
The students, said to be about 287, were kidnapped when the gunmen on motorcycles rode through their school, taking them away in an incident that sparked outrage and condemnation from several quarters including the UN children’s welfare agency, UNICEF.
The announcement of their release was made by Kaduna State Governor, UBA Sani in an early morning tweet on Sunday @ubasanius and coming on the heels of his visit to President Bola Tinubu barely 15 hours earlier on Saturday in company of the Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Musa. The visit which trended on X for the greater part of yesterday was on his X handle, too.
Announcing the release of the school children, Governor Sani wrote: “In the name of Allah the Beneficient, the Most Merciful, I wish to announce that our Kuriga school children have been released
Our special appreciation goes to our dear President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR for prioritizing the safety and security of Nigerians and particularly ensuring that the abducted Kuriga school children are released unharmed. While the school children were in captivity, I spoke with Mr. President several times. He shared our pains, comforted us and worked round the clock with us to ensure the safe return of the children.
Special mention must also be made of our dear brother, the National Security Adviser, Mal. Nuhu Ribadu for his exemplary leadership. I spent sleepless nights with Mal. Ribadu finetuning strategies and coordinating the operations of the security agencies, which eventually resulted in this successful outcome.
The Nigerian Army also deserves special commendation for showing that with courage, determination and commitment, criminal elements can be degraded and security restored in our communities.
We also thank all Nigerians who prayed fervently for the safe return of the school children. This is indeed a day of joy. We give Almighty Allah all the glory.
Senator Uba Sani,
Governor, Kaduna State.
March 24th, 2024.
