Ndudi Anyim
The Zamfara State government has secured the release of 279 students of Government Girls Junior Secondary School, Jangede, Zamfara State on Tuesday morning.
This was confirmed in a statement by the Zamfara State Police Command’s Spokesman, Mohammed Shehu, a Superintendent of Police (SP).
The statement read: “ We want to inform members of the public especially parents and guardians of the affected students that today being 2nd March, 2021, 279 students not 317 as earlier reported of Government girls science secondary school, Jangebe in Talata Mafara LGA abducted on Friday February 26, 2021 have been successfully released.
“ The students were brought in by the security forces and received at the Government House, Gusau in the early hours of today by His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Zamfara State Dr. Mohammed Bello Matawalle, in the presence of the Commissioner of Police CP Abutu Yaro, other heads of security agencies and government officials.”
The PPRO stated that the victims were currently receiving medical attention by the joint state government and Police medical teams, as detectives from the state Criminal Investigation Department, headed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police are currently debriefing the affected victims with a view to unravelling the circumstances behind the bizarre crime.
“ The Commissioner of Police while congratulating the government and people of the state for the safe return of the abducted students, also assured them that a full scale investigation is presently in progress, and the full wrath of the law will be applied to any person or group found in connection with the dastardly act.
“ He further assured that the ground and aerial assets deployed by the Inspector General of Police IGP Mohammed Adamu , will continue to sustain the ongoing ground and aerial surveillance patrol in various locations of the state in order to give the citizens the confidence about their safety and security, ” Shehu said.
Investigations by Security Watch Africa reveals that the Zamfara State Government may have secured the release of the girls in exchange for some bandits in the custody of security agencies.
A source, who chose to remain anonymous told Security Watch Africa that the state government were given the option of either paying ransom which runs in millions of dollars or release a large number of bandits in exchange for the girls.
He said: “ The 279 Government Girls Science Secondary School abducted on Friday, February 26, were released early on Tuesday, March 2.
“ When the girls were abducted, the bandits requested for millions of dilollars as ransom for the girl. Knowing that we did not have such amount, we continued to plead with them.
“ They threatened to kill the girls and after much plea, they gave us the option of releasing some of their members held in custody of security operatives in exchange for the girls.
“ We did not have any other option, because the safety of the girls was Paramount to us. So we gave in and the bandits kept to the deal and the girls were released.”