Three days after being liberated from captivity, the abducted pupils from Lea Primary School and Government Secondary School Kuriga in Kaduna State’s Chikun Local Government Area have reconciled with their parents.
On behalf of Governor Uba Sani, the children were given to their parents by Professor Abdulkadir Meyere, the Secretary to the Kaduna State Government.
Two weeks after the bandits abducted them from their school on March 7, they were freed in Zamfara State by the military and local officials.
The Kaduna State SSG informed the families upon presenting the children that the Federal and Kaduna State governments’ ceaseless efforts had made their rescue possible.
“I remember vividly when this tragedy occurred, His Excellency the Governor went to Kuriga to assess the situation, sympathize with you, and inform you of the efforts he had made as the Governor of Kaduna State.
“He even declared that these children are his children and worked tirelessly with the Federal Government and security agencies for their safe rescue. By God’s mercy, today the Governor has fulfilled his promise, and the children have been rescued. The Governor ought to be here, but due to his work schedule, he could not make it,” Meyere told the families of the schoolchildren.
The parents of the rescued students were excited and relieved to reunite with their wads after more than two weeks of sleepless nights and anxiety.
They commended the efforts of the Kaduna State Government and the intervention of security agencies in release of their children.
The district head of Kuriga community, Lawal Abdullahi, prayed for the community never to experience such incident again.
“We, the people of Kuriga, did not realize how cherished we were until I met the Governor and the Secretary to the State Government. We pray to the Lord to bless these individuals. Not only in Kuriga but throughout Kaduna State, we hope that an incident of kidnapping students will not repeat itself”.
One of the parents of the abducted children, Idris Abdullahi, thanked Governor Uba Sani for fulfilling his promise to rescue the children when he visited Kuriga community after the kidnapping incident.
“Only God knows the joy in our hearts. We express our gratitude to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala for bestowing this mercy upon us. We have nothing to offer the Executive Governor except prayers and hope.
“We ask God to grant the Governor and his administration strength to enable him to complete his tenure successfully and to elevate him to the next position”.
One of the freed children, Suleiman lawal, also shared his experience, while thanking God for their release
“My name is Sulaiman Lawal, a resident of Kuriga and one of the victims of the recent kidnapping. We were kidnapped by these abductors, but we are grateful to the People’s Governor for all the support during and after our time in captivity.
“Those of us with minor injuries or ailments were taken care of by the government. The unfortunate event further encouraged me to study hard and actualize my dream”.