Niger Governor Receives Released Tegina School Pupils, Says Abductors Have Madness in their Heads

Laleye Dipo in Minna

Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, who received the released pupils of Salihu Tanko Islamiyya School yesterday afternoon, has described the abductors of the school children as “having sickness and madness in their heads.”

The children who were abducted on May 30, this year were released on Thursday and travelled through the night to arrive in Minna the state capital at about 1a.m. yesterday.

They were first taken to the Primary Health Care facility in Bosso Local Government Area where they were attended to medically before being given new clothes and the female ones among them were given the Muslim head veil, Hijab.

The school children who were brought to the Government House in three air-conditioned buses, filed out into the Conference Hall.
Bello, who confirmed that four of the released pupils were not okay, said that “There is sickness and madness in the heads of people who kidnapped these pupils, I cannot understand how you abduct a three-year-old and keep him for more than two months.”

According to the governor, the abduction of the pupils has affected “the morale and confidence of the children and their parents but we will work on that.”
The governor said now that the pupils had been released, the government would go after the kidnappers and bring them to justice.

There was a contradiction in the number of pupils released. While Governor Bello claimed that a total of 91 pupils were kidnapped, and that he received 90 as one died in captivity, the head teacher of the school Alhassan Abubakar Garba said 93 pupils were released.

Garba in an interview with journalists vowed that the school would not be closed as a result of the incident instead he insisted that the school would be reorganised. “The school will continue, we will redesign it and we will change the uniform.”

Though Garba refused to say how much was paid to the bandits he did not hesitate to confirm that money was given adding that “many people contributed money which we gave as ransom but I can’t tell you the exact amount.

“I am excited many people assisted us, many people contributed money, Christians, Muslims, individuals I thank all of you,” he said.

However, the parents who came to Minna to receive their wards, were not allowed to go with them as one government official told them they would get their children in Tegina. “You will get your children when we get to Tegina.”

The atmosphere at the Government House was friendly as relatives, friends and well wishers patted themselves on the back in appreciation of the release of the children.

The children and their teachers were treated to a sumptuous meal before being ferried back to Tegina by the government.

One of the pupils whose condition was so terrible was carried by a government official into the conference Hall.

The pupil was later taken back to the hospital after the reception for medical attention.

Though the government vehemently denied giving ransom to the bandits before the kids were released a cross section of the parents spoken to said they gave bandits money.

THISDAY learnt that an unspecified amount of money was released to the bandits in addition to five new Bajaj motorcycles.

Hajia Rabi Abubakar who reconnected with two of her kidnapped children thanked God for reuniting with her children. She admitted paying ransom to the bandits. “We paid before we got our children back,” she said.

An elated Chairman of Rafi Local Government Area, Alhaji Ismaila Modibo, said a community meeting would be held in Kagara headquarters of the local government next week to strategise on how to improve the security of the entire local government.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party PDP in the state which hailed the state government for facilitating the release of the children said, “We will never again let Governor Sani Bello’s sleeping and snoring administration go back to sleep.”

The party in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Sulaiman Ahmed Aliyu, said it was only

when the PDP spoke out that the APC-led administration jerked up from slumber.

“We (PDP) received the heart-cheering news of the release of Tegina Islammiyya pupils who were abducted 86 days ago” adding that

“The PDP will continue to speak, act and defend the masses of Niger State including the vulnerable APC members,” Aliyu said, adding “The PDP will continue to give leadership, guidance, strategic direction and crash course to the APC-led administration in Niger State at least until it expires in 21 Months to come.”