15 more abducted Baptist school students regain freedom

Fifteen more abducted students of Bethel Baptist Secondary School in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna state have regained their freedom.

Although the government or security agencies are yet to confirm the development, a source in the school told Channels Television that the 15 students were released on Sunday after a ransom was paid to the bandits.

Bandits suspected to be kidnappers had on July 5 attacked the school and took away 121 students from their hostels.

The bandits released 28 of them on July 25, after a ransom was allegedly paid to the kidnappers. The rest managed to escape from the captors between July 22 and August 3.

The release of the 15 students brings the total number of those freed so far to 56 while 65 others are still in captivity.

Kidnapping for ransom has become a normal practice for bandits to extort money from innocent residents in Kaduna and other states in the North West, as well as Niger in the north-central region.

In the last one year, bandits have attacked many communities in the region, with a lot of people killed and hundreds abducted.

During the period, several schools have come under attack in Kaduna, Zamfara, Niger, and Kebbi where bandits abducted over 1,000 students.

A large number of the victims have since returned after their families paid ransom to the gunmen, but some are still in captivity.

A few of the students lost their lives during rescue operations by security forces.

As the bandits continue to attack communities in Kaduna, the state government says it will no longer consider the option of negotiation with the criminals.

“We have a feeling that the renewed attacks in Kaduna are not unconnected to the position that we have taken as a government that we will not negotiate with criminals,” Governor Nasir El-Rufai said during an interview with Channels Television in April.

According to the security report of the state for the first quarter, a total of 323 people were killed by bandits in Kaduna between January and March.

Of the 323 people killed during the period, 292 were males and 20 were females, while the criminals kidnapped 949 people. (Channels TV)