The General Officer Commanding 1 Division of the Nigerian Army/Force Commander Operation WHIRL PUNCH, Major General Mayirenso Saraso has handed over 131 students and pupils who were abducted at Kuriga in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna state to the state governor Uba Sani on Monday.
The pupils were abducted on the 7th March, 2024.
Speaking while handing over the freed students General Saraso remarked that the rescue team successfully rescued 137 school children.
However, he informed the governor that six out of the 137 have been hospitalised and were being attended to at the Army medical facility.
He further disclosed that one staff member of the school that made it the 138 persons abducted Mr Abubakar died in captivity.
The 131 school children were later taken to women and children shelter within Kaduna city for psycho social therapy pending onward handing over to their respective parents.
According to the GOC, “We successfully freed 137, but you will discover that 6 of them are not presently with us here, they are being attended to medically in our facility at Darlet Barracks, one male with five female students who have been hospitalised.
“His Excellency visited them last night and he saw all the students including those lying on hospital beds. So those six when eventually discharged when they get better will join their 131 colleagues that are here physically present to complete the figure of 137.
“Recall that on Thursday, 7th March 2024, some Violent Extremists and Insurgents (VE/I) infamously called armed bandits invaded the LEA Primary School and the Government Secondary School both co-located at Kuriga, in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where they criminally abducted several pupils and students including a staff member of one of the two schools.
“Through the sustained and coordinated application of both kinetic and non-kinetic efforts by the security agencies under the strategic guidance of the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the abducted Kuriga school children have in the early hours of yesterday Sunday 24th March 2024, been safely rescued after spending about 16 days in captivity.
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“The students were initially received and administered first aid at the Nigerian Army Troops Forward Operating Base Dandadau, in Zamfara State before being served refreshment and subsequently conveyed from there under escort to Kaduna this morning/afternoon.
“In all, there were 137 children and one staff member making 138 persons altogether that were abducted from the co-located schools on the ill-fated day. But unfortunately the staff member, Mr Abubakar is not here with us today because he died while in captivity.
“Consequently, there are here at present, a total of 137 students of the Govt Secondary and LEA Primary Schools Kuriga in Chikun LGA of Kaduna State who were successfully rescued from captivity around Dansadau Forest in Zamfara State and safely brought back to Kaduna. The breakdown of the figure of the rescued children shows that there are 76 Females and 61 Males making the total of 137 all together (less the teacher that died while in captivity)”.
While responding, governor Uba Sani appreciated the efforts of President Bola Tinubu and all heads of security agencies in the country for successful rescue of the embattled school children.
Governor Sani said, “I want to appreciate our children who are here with us and are in high spirit. I want to make it very clear to all of us that from the very day that our children were unfortunately abducted from their school in Kuriga community, the President of the Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been with us from day one. He ensure that the security should return our children home safely.
“I want to thank the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu for his able leadership and all the Service Chiefs and all security agencies for their respective contributions and organised efforts, and that is why we are here today and happy to celebrate the release of our children. I want to appreciate many Nigerians who prayed day and night for the release of the children, and today God has answered our prayers.
“I want to make one clarification here; when this incident happened, some of us have been very encouraging with the efforts of the security agencies because we are working with them closely, sharing alot of intelligent report and we have been giving information and that is why we are here today.
“I also want to caution insecurity merchants and conflict merchants in Nigeria to be cautious with their utterances because before the release of our children alot of people have been coming with alot of permutation of how these children were released, what happened.
“The important thing for us in Kaduna is that the children are here with us. This is more important. As Government it is to protect life and property of our citizens. And under my government the Kaduna State will continue to prioritise our security because security is the number one agenda of our government. We should not prioritise the issue of insecurity in Nigeria. It is not good to undermine the efforts of security agencies in Nigeria.
“I want to caution the media and some elements in the society about the permutation of the school children, in my own opinion it is just to celebrate their release. And the families of these children are already happy and they are celebrating. We are all happy because we had 16 days of sleepless nights, but today we are happy the children are back and I want to emphasise that we will continue to make security efforts so that all our local government areas and communities are saved”.
Meanwhile, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has called for proactive measures against future occurrence of such kidnapping.
A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the Forum, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba said, “It is with warm hearts full of relief and gratitude that the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) received news about the release the students abducted from schools at Kuriga, Kaduna State, Tsangaya school children abducted in Gada Local Government Area, Sokoto State, and some of the long-held students of Federal University Gusau (FUGUS).
“Details of the process that led to the release of the students are unavailable, understandably for security reasons. Without prejudice however, for ACF the development hopefully signals a new dawn in anti-terrorism measures being applied by Government.
“Specific to Kuriga, the rescue of the innocent kids is highly commendable. As alluded to in the statement from His Excellency Senator Uba Sani, the operation was made possible by a needed collaboration between various stakeholders including the security forces, the Kaduna State Government (KDSG) and locals.
“This is as should be, as many have indeed been stridently calling for such an approach to stamping out for good, the menace of terrorism and banditry that as existential threats to communities in Nigeria.
“All who contributed to seeing the feat deserve much appreciation and gratitude from all Nigerians. ACF joins all to extend kudos to the Federal Government and its security agencies, HE Senator Sani and KDSG, members of the local communities involved and indeed any and every one that directly and indirectly contributed to this happy denouement to the horrific nightmare scenario.
“ACF also rejoices with the student, their parents and guardians. Going forward, ACF calls for strengthening this new anti-terrorism multi-stakeholder, multi-pronged strategy, involving all those with direct and indirect responsibilities for securing peoples and communities and, ultimately, Nigeria.
“Efforts should be intensified to have all remaining captives, everywhere and anywhere released. For Kuriga, this is vital, because the number of victims released is at variance with earlier figures of abductees as indeed reflected in various news reports.
“The adoption of simple but effective community-based measures, including simple or user-friendly gadgets, incorporating solid intelligence gathering and processing, for early warning, early response strategy to secure all vulnerable communities and facilities”.
