…We Escaped, Not Rescued
Bethel Baptist High School, a secondary school having students made up of boys and girls, located in Kujama/Maraban Rido in Chikun local government area of Kaduna state, was in the early hours of Monday attacked by bandits.
One of the escapee students has told The New Diplomat how he and others escaped from the hands of their abductors.
The kidnappers who invaded the secondary school in their large numbers, made away with the students numbering 140, according to reports. 28 students later escaped from their unsuspected kidnappers.
Unlike the previous experiences, no staff of the school was kidnapped just as there was no security operative in the area to help prevent the attacks on the innocent students.
While those of them who escaped and ran into the waiting hands of security, on their way out, have been handed to the management of the attacked school, who in turn were handed over to their miserable parents.
Optimistic that “God will facilitate the release of the missing students and unite them with their parents”, the Principal, Mrs. Lawrence Tuga appealed to the helpless parents to join the School to pray for divine intervention.
One of the escaped students while speaking with The New Diplomat in confidence lamented that from the moment the kidnappers invaded the school, there was no trace of “either the Police or Soldiers coming forward to rescue us.
“Our escape was facilitated by God. As we were coming out to the road on our own, we ran into security men and felt relaxed with the believe and assurance that we are in safe hands. That was when message was sent to our school who rushed in to collect us.
“Our thanks go to God for his loving kindness over us. I believe that for his mercy, God will facilitate the safe return of others. We are innocent of whatever”, the student said in tears.
The unexpected incident which attracted attention of parents and sympathizers to the school, led to the blocking of the road in the area.
Amidst wailing and crying and praying for divine intervention, a serving army officer, major by rank, decided to fire shots into the air.
His action infuriated angry parents and sympathizers who were spoiling for action, when the message came that the escaped students were being returned.
Thus, the crowd on their own dispatched leaving the major to escape the anger of the people.
Though the school management assured that the remaining students will return savely and advised them to go home, the protesters have remained within and outside the school premises as at the time of this report.
Sources close to the area said incessant kidnappings among other criminal activities in the area had forced a lot of landlords to abandon their landed properties in the community.
Also, The New Diplomat observed that a number of buildings remain unoccupied in the area as residents lamented over the dire level of insecurity in their community.
Meanwhile, Governor Nasir El-Rufai has described the development as unfortunate and an untold evil to humanity.
The state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan quoted El-Rufai to have stated this after an on-the-spot assessment of the incident.
The statement was titled, ‘El-Rufai condemns kidnapping of unspecified number of students.’
It said, “It would be recalled that distress calls were received in the early hours of Monday detailing an incursion of bandits into the school. The bandits shot sporadically as they advanced to the hostels and abducted an unspecified number of students.
“Security agencies have assured the Kaduna State Government of vigorous search and rescue efforts to locate and secure the unspecified number of abducted students.
“The Governor is following the development and receiving hourly situation reports.”
