The 15 students abducted at the Qur’anic school in Sokoto State have regained their freedom.
The students were kidnapped at Gidan Bakuso village in Gada Local Government Area while running into their rooms to escape attack on the community two weeks ago.
The victims were abducted hours before the graduation ceremony of the state’s Community Guard Corps created to fight banditry.
The proprietor of the Tsangaya school in Gidan Bakuso, Liman Abubakar, had told our correspondent that the bandits invaded the community around 1am, shot one person and abducted a woman.
The proprietor disclosed further that: “As they were leaving the town, they sighted our students rushing into their rooms and they kidnapped many of them.
“We have so far counted 15 who are missing and we are still searching for more”, he said.
Abubakar had said that was not the first time the village was attacked by bandits.
The Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed Aliyu on Security, Colonel Ahmed Usman (rtd), said the news of the abduction was received during the graduation ceremony of the Sokoto State Community Guard Corps.
“I told my governor about it and we quickly notified heads of security operatives”, he said.
He said “a fighter jet has been mobilised to the area. We’re also mobilizing ground troops to the area. We will, in-sha-Allah, rescue all the abductees safely.”
The member representing Gada-East Constituency at the state House of Assembly, Kabiru Dauda, had said he received a call from the village around 2am that there was an invasion by bandits.
“I reached out to the local government authorities and security agencies and I am sure they are doing something about it,” the lawmaker had said.
It was also gathered that bandits attacked and killed three persons, including the village head, at Turba village in Isa Local Government Area of the state.