There was mixed emotion following news of the release of 137 abducted Kuriga school children on Sunday, as some parents have died from the trauma that followed their children’s abduction, but the Kuriga community welcomed the news with joyous excitement.
Bandits had on March 7, 2024 attacked LEA Primary School Kuriga, which also hosts the GSS Kuriga, where 287 school children and teachers were kidnapped and marched into the forest.
As parents look forward to seeing their children after 18 days in kidnappers’ den, some with palpable fear wondering what their children have suffered in 17 days with their captors in the forest, some of the parents suffered worse trauma at home as they could not sleep, could not eat, even as some paid the ultimate price with their lives.
Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state changed the mood of people in the state when he announced the release of the Kuriga school children early Sunday morning. News filtered in that they are on their way from Zamfara state, where they were rescued by the military, to Kaduna state ahead of their transfer to their parents. But this was countered with another news that they would only be released to their parents on Monday.
One of the parents, Jubril Gwadebe Kuriga, while being delighted at the release of the school children including his 9-year-old daughter, Aisha, lamented that the parents went through harrowing experience at home, adding that they could neither sleep nor eat, as some of the parents died from the 17-day trauma of their children’s absence.
According to him, “my name is Jubril Gwadabe Kuriga (Tafida Kuriga). I have a child by name Aisha. She was among those kidnapped too. We were traumatized throughout the period of the absence of our children. Our children were away in the bush, no food, no good water.
“Let me tell you, sometimes 12 o’clock, 1 o’clock in the night, I would wake up, I would just be crying, thinking how is she? Has she eaten? I think of all that because I know if she is at home, normally, before she goes to school in the morning, she would eat, then she would come back to eat breakfast and then when they close 2 o’clock before she goes for Islamiyya she takes something.
“I am always playing with her at home but with her absence now I’ve been feeling very bad. They said all the children are back, that is what they said, all of them are back but seeing is believing.
“There is a woman whose four children were among the kidnapped pupils. She could not eat, she could not sleep. I can even tell you, some parents are dead within the period the children were with kidnappers. I cannot tell you the number of those that died. But I believe some are dead.
“Government called us and informed us that the children are with them. That is the true story, but we have not seen them yet. They promised us by tomorrow (Monday) they will handover the children to us. Each student or child will be handed over to the parents.
“We are feeling happy because it is not easy missing your child for this long period of time, so, we need to be happy. We are happy that we now have security presence. We are going to use them to see that our children go back to school. With the presence of security now in our area, we are going to mount the security so that our children can go back to school.”
Governor Uba Sani had early Sunday morning said, “In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Most Merciful, I wish to announce that our Kuriga school children have been released.
“Our special appreciation goes to our dear President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for prioritizing the safety and security of Nigerians and particularly ensuring that the abducted Kuriga school children are released unharmed. While the school children were in captivity, I spoke with Mr. President several times. He shared our pains, comforted us and worked round the clock with us to ensure the safe return of the children.
“Special mention must also be made of our dear brother, the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu for his exemplary leadership. I spent sleepless nights with Malam Ribadu fine-tuning strategies and coordinating the operations of the security agencies, which eventually resulted in this successful outcome.
“The Nigerian Army also deserves special commendation for showing that with courage, determination and commitment, criminal elements can be degraded and security restored in our communities. We also thank all Nigerians who prayed fervently for the safe return of the school children. This is indeed a day of joy. We give Almighty Allah all the glory,” Governor Sani said.
In the same vein, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters in a statement signed by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, confirmed the rescue of 137 Kuriga school children in Zamfara state.
“Nigerian Defence Headquarters has confirmed that 137 of the kidnapped Kaduna school children, comprising 76 females and 61 males, were successfully rescued. The students were rescued in Zamfara state and will be transported and handed over to the Kaduna state government for further action.
“The hostages are same persons that were abducted from the school at Kuriga in Chikun LGA of Kaduna state. The military, in collaboration with local authorities and government agencies nationwide, conducted a coordinated search and rescue operation to secure the hostages. These efforts demonstrate the armed forces resolve to finding other innocent hostages and track down the terrorists that perpetrated these crimes. These efforts would continue until other hostages are found and the terrorists arrested, tried, and brought to justice by Nigerian law,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, while the 137 Kuriga school children are being released, the 200-men IGP Special Intervention Squad, sent to Kaduna state in response to the resurgence of banditry in the state arrived Kaduna. The squad came armed with two Armoured Personal Carriers (APC) and other sophisticated weapons.
The Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun had recently, during a visit to Governor Sani, after the kidnap of the Kuriga school children, promised deployment of a Police Mobile Force (PMF) against banditry in the state.
Speaking while receiving the squad at Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House on Sunday, Governor Uba Sani expressed appreciation to the IGP for fulfilling his promise on the deployment of the Squad.
He also expressed appreciation to the Federal Government, particularly President Bola Ahmad Tinubu and the security agencies for the successful rescue of the kidnapped Kuriga school children.
Following the release of the 137 Kuriga school children, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) has described the news of the release as a welcomed development.
President General of AYCF, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, averred that the abduction of the children and some of their teacher was a devastating one because the children were subjected to a traumatic experience when the bandits stormed their school and marched them into the forest in Kaduna state only to be rescued in Zamfara state.
He commended the collaborative efforts between the government, security agencies, and local communities that ensured the rescue of the children, adding that such collaborative efforts should be sustained particularly in preventing such occurrences in the future.
Shettima reiterated the need for government and security agencies to redouble their efforts towards flushing out the criminals from the system once and for all.
