Bandits: 94 kidnapped Tegina Islamic school pupils freed

Bandits have released at least 94 of the kidnapped pupils at the Salihu Tanko Islamic School, Tegina, kidnapped in May, reports the BBC.

It was not clear as of the time of filing this report how much was paid as ransom or whether the government gave the criminals cash at all in exchange for the schoolchildren.

Armed bandits had abducted 200 students from the Tegina school in the Rafi local government area of Niger.

The bandits had invaded the town at about 3:00 p.m. on “shooting indiscriminately and abducted a yet to be ascertained th number of children at Salihu Tanko Islamic school, Tegina. The bandits shot one person dead in the process,” the police had said when the news of the Islamic schoolchildren broke.

Governor Abubakar Bello had, prior to the mass abduction, raised the alarm about Boko Haram invasion of the state. 

The dreaded group hoisted its flag near Shiroro, the host community for Nigeria’s flagship hydropower station, taxing residents.

The police at the time appealed to the parents and other residents to remain calm that “the command has immediately mobilised all tactical teams including Operation Puff Adder 2 to the location for rescue of the victims.” 

They also promised to “do everything humanly possible to ensure that the children are rescued unhurt.”

Credit: PG