After a grueling period of 707 days, the remaining two abducted students from the Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri, have finally been set free from their captors. This long-awaited development took place early this morning.
According to Paparazzi online, Faida Sani Kaoje and Safiya Idris, the two courageous young women, were released as a result of extensive negotiations carried out by a special committee established by their families and well-wishers. The committee collaborated closely with the bandits’ leadership to secure the girls’ freedom.
Dogo Gide, a notorious leader among the bandits, had imposed certain conditions that needed to be met by the Kebbi State Government before the remaining girls could be released.
It is worth mentioning that on April 22, 2023, PRNigeria reported the release of four other female students from Yauri, who were accompanied by two infants. This liberation came after a substantial ransom was paid to Dogo Gide.
Several weeks later, on May 7, three additional girls named Elizabeth Ogechi Nwafor, Esther Sunday, and Aliya Abubakar were also freed by their captors.
These liberations became possible through the collection of a substantial ransom by the parents and other concerned stakeholders, as the Kebbi State Government initially hesitated to meet the bandits’ demands.
Desperate to rescue their children from the clutches of their abductors, the parents had appealed to the generosity of Nigerians to assist them financially in this difficult situation.
In a letter addressed to all Nigerians in January 2023, which Paparazzi Online 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.It would be recalled that the 11 students were kidnapped when bandits invaded their school on 17th June 2021.
