By Christian George
After spending nearly two years in the den of their abductors, the last two schoolgirls abducted from the Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri by terrorists have regained their freedom.
The girls, Faida Sani Kaoje and Safiya Idris were released in the early hours of Thursday to reunite with their families.
They were released after intensive negotiations by a special committee set up by their families and well-wishers, with the leadership of the bandits to ensure quick release from their captors, according to a report by Daily Post.
It was noted that Dogo Gide, a notorious bandit kingpin, had insisted that some conditions must be met by the Kebbi State Government before the remaining girls can regain their freedom.
Before the latest release, four Yauri female students with two babies were released after payments of a huge ransom to Dogo Gide were made on April 22, 2023.
Similarly, three other girls namely, Elizabeth Ogechi Nwafor, Esther Sunday and Aliya Abubakar, regained their freedom from their captors on May 7.
A source hinted that a huge sum was paid by the parent of the victims and other stakeholders when the Kebbi State Government was reluctant to meet the bandits’ demands.
The source said, “The parents had to beg Nigerians to come to their aid financially in order to rescue their children from their abductors,” adding that a letter addressed to Nigerians in January 2023, the group known as “Committee of Parents of 11 Abducted Students of FGC Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State, Nigeria,” solicited financial assistance towards raising the sum of N100 million as ransom to be paid to the terrorists, in exchange for their wards.
Salim Ka’oje and Mr Daniel Alkali, who served as the chairman and Secretary of the Committee of Parents said that their female children who are between the ages of 12 and 16 years had been in the custody of their abductors for about 20 months now.
Also worthy of note is that 11 girls were abducted from the school in June 2021.
