The two remaining kidnapped students of the Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State, have on Thursday regained freedom from their abductors after 707 days in captivity.
The two remaining female students, Faida Sani Kaoje and Safiya Idris were released after intensive negotiations by a special committee set up by their families and wellwishers, with the leadership of the bandits.
Dogo Gide, a notorious bandit kingpin, had insisted that the Kebbi State Government must meet some conditions before the remaining girls could be released.
Information Nigeria had reported on April 22, that four Yauri female students with two babies were released after huge ransom payments to Dogo Gide.
Weeks later, on May 7, three other girls, Elizabeth Ogechi Nwafor, Esther Sunday, and Aliya Abubakar were also freed by their captors.
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The release was however effected after a huge ransom was generated by parents and other stakeholders when the Kebbi State Government was reluctant to meet the bandits’ demands.
In a letter addressed to all Nigerians in January 2023, which PRNigeria obtained, the group known as “Committee of Parents of 11 Abducted Students of F.G.C Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State, Nigeria,” passionately solicited financial assistance towards raising the sum of N100 million as ransom to be paid to the terrorists, in exchange for their wards.
In their letter, the Chairman and Secretary of the ‘Committee of Parents, Salim Ka’oje and Mr. Daniel Alkali, respectively, said their female children (aged between 12-16 years) had been in the custody of their abductors for about 20 months now.
“And the abductors are demanding the sum of N100 million before they release the girls,” they added.
The 11 students were kidnapped when bandits invaded their school on 17th June 2021.
