The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, on Monday, stated that under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, the Federal Government has successfully rescued over 1,000 kidnap victims without yielding to ransom demands.
Ribadu made these remarks during the reception of 22 students and staff members from the Federal University of Gusau, Zamfara State, who were rescued on Sunday.
The abduction occurred on September 22, 2023, when bandits raided the institution and kidnapped over 30 students and staff members.
Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, Mani Mummuni, joined the university to extend sympathies to the affected families and school authorities, urging security agencies to expedite the rescue operation for the remaining kidnapped students.
The spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command, Yazid Abubakar, affirmed in a press release that the command is committed to rescuing all the kidnapped students. He mentioned that an extra tactical team has been deployed for search-and-rescue missions.
The police noted that “On September 22, 2023, at about 0250hrs, suspected bandits, riding on about 50 motorcycles, armed with sophisticated weapons, invaded three students’ rented apartments in Sabon Gida Village near the Federal University, Gusau and kidnapped an unspecified number of students, taking them to an unknown destination.”
Seven of the students were rescued while two escaped, leaving 22 others in captivity.
On Sunday, a group of 22 individuals, consisting of 15 students and seven university staff members, were liberated in a mission orchestrated by the National Counter-Terrorism Centre.
Addressing the rescued students in Abuja, the National Security Adviser expressed gratitude to the security forces for successfully recovering the students “without any loss or ransom payment.
He said, “On behalf of the President, I thank all those involved in the successful rescue of the victims without losing anyone of them or paying any ransom.
“This is yet again a success story in our efforts to free all those being unlawfully held in captivity.
“We have so far released over a thousand such victims without noise and with complete respect to their privacy and safety.
“This occasion marks a final juncture in a series of rescues we have undertaken in the last few months, to free victims of recent cases of mass abductions.
“Going forward, we are strengthening law enforcement and security measures to prevent these abductions and strengthen physical security across vulnerable communities.”
During March, the military successfully rescued 137 students who were kidnapped from Kaduna State. The Federal Government stated that no ransom was paid, despite the bandits’ demand of N1 billion.
The National Security Adviser (NSA) also expressed gratitude to the parents of the rescued victims for their patience and understanding throughout the ordeal. Additionally, he commended the security agencies for their sacrifices.
Previously, the National Coordinator of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Maj-Gen Adamu Laka (retd.), disclosed that search and rescue operations conducted by security agencies led to the students’ release in three separate batches.
He said, “Search and rescue was conducted by a combined team of law enforcement agencies and the abductees were subsequently released in three batches, after 207 days in captivity.
“The first batch was rescued on March 15 the second batch was rescued on April 12 and the last batch rescued on April 14.
“All the abductees were profiled at NCTC while the ONSA Medical Team examined them and administered minor treatments on the bruises sustained by three of them.
“Four of them were diagnosed with malaria and are being treated. None of the females was molested and all the females tested negative for pregnancy test.”