Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, has announced that over 1,000 kidnapped victims have been rescued without ransom to date. He made this declaration while receiving 22 students and staff from the Federal University of Gusau, Zamfara State, who were liberated on Sunday.
As previously reported, the staff and students were abducted by bandits on September 22, 2023. Yazid Abubakar, the spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command, confirmed in a press statement that the command is committed to ensuring the rescue of all kidnapped students. Furthermore, an additional tactical team has been deployed for search-and-rescue operations.
“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.”
“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.”
Nuhu Ribadu encouraged the students and university staff not to allow the experience to “break them” but should be made stronger by it.
In March, the military successfully rescued 137 students who had been kidnapped from Kaduna State. The Federal Government emphasized that no ransom was paid, despite the bandits’ demand for N1 billion. The NSA expressed gratitude to the parents of the rescued victims for their patience and understanding throughout the ordeal, while also commending the sacrifices made by security agencies.
Previously, the National Coordinator of the NCTC, Maj-Gen Adamu Laka (retd.), highlighted that search and rescue operations carried out by security agencies resulted in the students’ release in three separate batches.
He noted that the successful release required the collaborative search and rescue efforts of various law enforcement agencies. The abductees regained their freedom in three separate groups after enduring 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.
Around four of the abducted individuals were diagnosed with malaria and are currently undergoing treatment. Fortunately, the female victims were not subjected to any form of molestation, and none of them tested positive for pregnancy.