After 7 Months, Bandits Release 30 Students, 1 Teacher Kidnapped From FGC Birnin Yauri

No fewer than 30 students and one teacher kidnapped from the Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State, have been released after over seven months in captivity of bandits.

A representative of the Kebbi State Government, Yahaya Sarki, confirmed to the AFP that the released victims arrived Birnin Kebbi at the weekend and were undergoing medical screening.

It is, however, unclear if any ransom was paid for their freedom.

Recall that in June 2021, an unknown bandit group had stormed the college and abducted no fewer than 100 students and eight teachers.

The captors subsequently freed some of the victims at different times. 27 students and three staff were freed in October 2021 while security operatives rescued eight students and a teacher and found three students dead in the bush.

According to the United Nations (UN), more than 1,400 children were abducted in Nigeria in 2021 by bandits.

The UN said while many of these abducted students were released after ransom payments, no fewer than 200 were still missing as of September 2021.

The bandits often target schools or travelers on highways.

The Nigerian Government on Wednesday declared the activities of bandits as “acts of terrorism”.