Nigerian gunmen released more students who were kidnapped at gunpoint at a school in the country's north-central Niger State three months ago, reuniting them with their families who paid a ransom of $140,000.
A government spokesperson announced the incident on Friday, saying the parents of the hostages also gave the suspects motorbikes in exchange for their children. Abubakar Alhassan, the school headmaster, addressed journalists after the students were freed, saying the money for the ransom was raised after residents from different sectors banded together to rescue the victims.
Kidnapped Children Released
In a statement, Alhassan said contributors included members from the government, residents, imams, and pastors. The official said they also received donations from TB Joshua, who offered support despite being a Christian.
However, Mary Noel-Berje, a spokeswoman for the Niger State government, said officials did not contribute and were not part of the negotiations with the kidnappers. She said that only the parents of the hostages discussed with the suspects about the terms of their children's release, CNN reported.
On July 5, more than 100 students from the Bethel Baptist High School were abducted by armed individuals. So far, 56 of the kidnapped children have been released, including the 15 from the most recent incident.
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However, there were still 65 more children who were taken by the bandits and are waiting to be rescued by officials, Reverend John Hayab, the school administrator, said. Samuel Aruwan, Kaduna state's commissioner for internal security, confirmed the release of the students but did not immediately comment on the ransom.
The Bethel kidnappings were part of a string of abductions by gangs who were infamous in the area for terrorizing northwest and central Nigeria. The suspects were known for looting, stealing cattle, and kidnapping residents for ransom money, Aljazeera reported.
Armed Abductions in Nigeria
Since December, about 1,000 students have been kidnapped in total after gangs began targeting schools and colleges in the region. After negotiations, most of the victims were released and reunited with their families.
However, many children remained captive, including the 136 kids from June who were studying at an Islamic seminary in Tegina in central Niger State. Officials revealed that four of the hostages died in captivity.
One of the parents of the abducted children said the gangs asked on Friday for clothes for the children, citing they have been in the same clothes for months after being kidnapped. Maryam Mohammed, whose seven kids were among the abducted children, said the gangs called the school and told them to ask parents to send clothes for the children.
Despite the country's government urging against the payment of ransoms for the kidnappers' demands, desperate parents and communities continued to raise money to be reunited with their family members. Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello said they would do everything in their power to bring the kidnappers to justice. He said they would quickly put in place necessary measures to hunt down and prosecute all those involved in the heinous crimes of kidnapping innocent young children from their schools, Reuters reported.
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