She spoke on Monday after the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, officially handed over 100 schoolchildren, abducted on November 21 from St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara LGA of Niger State, to the state government.
- One of rescued pupils in Niger State, Florence Michael, has recounted that the abductors held them in a bush near a river.
The NSA was represented at the handover by Wing Commander Abdullahi Idi Hong.Narrating their ordeal, she said the captors provided a trampoline for them to lie on and warned them against making noise.
“They told us if we make noise, they would beat us and we would not go back home,” she said in an interview published by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).Florence appealed to the government to continue protecting children to ensure their safety in schools.
While speaking at the occasion, Ribadu disclosed that the children were rescued through coordinated operations conducted by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Department of State Services (DSS), the Armed Forces, and other security agencies.
He stated that the federal government is implementing immediate short-term protective measures in high-risk areas while concurrently working with state governments, as well as traditional and religious leaders, to develop lasting, community-based security solutions.
Ribadu emphasized that insecurity would not be allowed to undermine the right of every child to education.Receiving the children, the Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, described the rescue as a significant relief for both the parents and the state.
He thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for providing the necessary support that led to the rescue.Governor Bago assured the public that the remaining children still in captivity would soon be rescued. He also extended his gratitude to the NSA, security agencies, development partners, and citizens who prayed throughout the ordeal.
The governor reassured parents and guardians that the rescued children would be reunited with their families following thorough medical checks. He added that the government is collaborating with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to ensure the pupils’ safe return to their homes.
Sources revealed that the children were dropped off at a location between Lumma and Wawa towns in Borgu LGA of Niger State around 7:00 pm on Sunday, where they were recovered by security operatives.It was gathered that the children travelled a long distance from New Bussa, through the Mokwa-Bida-Minna Road, to the Government House in Minna, where they were received by the governor.