Bandits released us on their own, freed Kaduna student contradicts army

An abducted student of Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka, Mando, Kaduna State, has narrated how they were released from captivity.

The Nigerian Army had claimed that its troops “recovered five of the students” who spent over three weeks in captivity.

Samuel Aruwan, Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, who first announced the release of the students, did not give the details.

However, in a statement on Tuesday, Brig. Gen. Yerima Mohammed, Army spokesman, unveiled the identities of the “recovered students”, and showered encomiums on the troops.

“The rescued students are currently receiving medical attention in a military facility in Kaduna. The GOC 1 Division, Maj-Gen D. H. Ali-Keffi, has commended the troops for their effort and charged them not to rest on their oars until all kidnap victims are rescued and returned to their families,” he said.

But speaking with Daily Trust shortly after the freed five among the 39 victims were reunited with their families on Wednesday, Francis Paul, a 200 Level Student of Agriculture Technology at the institution, said the bandits released them voluntarily.

“One afternoon, they (the bandits) came and started selecting us… I was very ill that day. So, they asked me to sit aside and they added some girls and put us on motorbikes. They dropped us at a village close to the main road and said we should walk towards the road and we did,” he said.

Francis said the bandits gave them a message for Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna, telling him to either pay for the release of the remaining students or allow them to be harmed.

While narrating his experience in the hand of his abductors, he said the bandits fed them twice a day with spaghetti and fruits and provided unclean water from the river for drinking.

“The food is not enough because we were many and they will put it in one plate. Before you put your hand, it has finished. We all slept on the ground,” he said.

According to him, they (bandits) didn’t treat us well because they didn’t know God.

He added that living in the forest was a very bad experience.

The young man, who was among 39 students abducted 27 days ago, described the feeding in the forest as very poor, saying he was “very ill” for days before they were eventually released.

He spoke to Daily Trust shortly after they were reunited with their parents at the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Kaduna.

He recalled that they were moved on motorcycles and herded towards the forest the day they were abducted by the bandits from their school.

He confirmed the authenticity of the video released showing them being beaten by the bandits, stating that “the bandits said we should be beaten so that we can talk about the money they wanted from the government.

“They said if the government sees us being beaten, they will be serious in sending the money.”

Asked if any of the females was either raped or molested, he said: “Nobody was raped or molested.”

While speaking on how they were released, he said: “It was one afternoon when they (bandits) came and started selecting us. I was very ill that day. They asked me so sit aside. They added some girls and put us on motorbikes. They left us at a nearby village close to the main road and asked us to walk towards the main road and we did.”

Asked to express his feeling after securing freedom, he said: “I do feel happy that I’m released. But when I think of my other colleagues, I don’t feel happy because living in the bush is not fun. It’s just prayers to God that helped us because those people don’t know God. They don’t treat us as people who know God,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kaduna State government officials yesterday handed over the five students to their parents two days after leaving the bandits’ den.

Caleb Waziri, while speaking on behalf of the parents of the five students, said they were happy for the safe return of the five children.

He expressed hope that the remaining students would also regain their freedom soon. The Nigerian Army had earlier announced the names of the freed students as Abubakar Yakubu, Francis Paul, Obadiya Habakkuk, Amina Yusuf and Maryam Danladi.