Six female students and two staff of Engravers College, Kakau Daji, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna state have been set free after a sum of 13.6 Million Naira has been paid to their abductors.
They were abducted the gunmen on October 3, when the bandits invaded the school at about midnight and were released after staying 23 days in captivity.
A staff of the school who pleaded anonymity broke the news of their released in an interview. She said they were released in the early hours of Saturday, following an additional payment of N10 million ransom.
“About two weeks ago, the parents earlier paid a ransom of N3.6 million for the release of the girls, but after collecting the money, the bandits refused to release their victims and made a fresh demand for a ransom of N10 million.”
According to the staff of the college, the N10 million was paid on Friday night.
It was learnt that the money was raised by public spirited individuals.
“We just collected the children. They are all unhurt. The N10 million was paid yesterday on Friday night and the bandits released them.
“The bandits moved them that night to a location along the Kaduna – Abuja Road. They dropped them around Dutse village on the Kaduna- Abuja road at about 3 am in the morning and they called us to go there and pick them.
“But while we were on our way to the place, we were informed that a patrol team of the police who saw them standing by the road picked them and took them to the Toll Gate Police Station and they called us to go to the station and carry them.
“We have just collected the girls from the police, they have gone through a lot of trauma, but they are unhurt.
“The parents don’t want any media publicity about this so they don’t want to keep them in one place” he said.
One of the excited parents said they were happy about the safe return of the girls and their staff.
He asked the security agencies to go after the bandits now that the girls have been released.
“We celebrate the return of the girls. The excuse we were given is that they know where the bandits were, but if they go after them, they may injure the girls.
