Niger Govt Confirms Release Of Kidnapped Tegina Pupils

The administration of Niger State has verified the release of kidnapped students from Tanko Salihu Islamic School in Tegina, Rafi Local Government Area.

SSG Alh Ibrahim Matane, the Secretary to the State Government, acknowledged the occurrence on Friday night.

Over 70 of the abductees were on their way from Birnin Gwari, a border crossing between Niger and Kaduna State, where they were held prisoner by armed bandits, according to Matane, who revealed this in Minna.

According to a source close to the state administration, the state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, would greet the students on Friday at Government House Minna.

Abductees from the Salihu Tanko Islamiyya school in Tegina, Rafi Local Government Area, Niger State, were believed to have been released late Thursday evening, August 26th, 2021.

According to a source close to the state administration, the state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, and other key officials will be on hand to welcome the students on Friday at Government House Minna.

They were expected to be brought to the hospital for medical attention upon arrival before being reunited with their relatives.

The youngsters were taken from their school on May 30, 2021, and have been held captive in the robbers’ den till their release on Friday, despite the kidnappers purportedly receiving a ransom of N55 million from their parents.

Before their release today, the bandits informed the parents that two of their children, a 6-year-old and a 10-year-old female, had already perished as a result of the horrible conditions in which they were held prisoner.

Last Thursday, the bandits contacted the Islamiya’s head teacher, claiming that six of the victims were in serious condition and urged the parents to hurry and pay another N18 million ransom for their release.

It’s unclear whether the six children are still alive and among those who have been released.