In Nigeria, 28 of the 121 children abducted three weeks ago were released in the center of the country on Sunday morning. They had been kidnapped inside their own school by armed men, whom the locals call “bandits”.
The 28 children released are all between 10 and 12 years old. The photos and testimonials sent to RFI say they are very tired and in an advanced state of malnutrition. Most had great difficulty walking. They spent more than three weeks in custody, and after being hospitalized, they were finally reunited with their families.
They were abducted on the night of July 4 to July 5 with 93 other children when gunmen stormed the dormitories at Bethel Baptist High School, located in Chikun, Kaduna State. before kidnapping his retirees between 10 and 19 years. Adamu, the owner of the Bethel School where the children were kidnapped, tells of his arrival:
“Early in the morning we received a warning from a Good Samaritan who told us that children had been seen near the village. One of the parents recognized them and we went there immediately. When we got there, the soldiers had already taken the children to the hospital where we found them. ”
Esther Joseph, mother of one of the children, does not hide her joy: “I am very happy. It’s been more than three weeks since my daughter was abducted, I could not sleep, I could not eat, I thought I was going crazy. I had to see a doctor several times, but now that I see my daughter, I’m just happy. ”
“In all, we have 34 children who have regained their freedom and 87 who are still being held hostage by the bandits,” said Pastor Joseph Hayab, one of the school’s officials. In fact, “five children fled on July 21, two of whom had been found by police. The other three had managed to reach the school on their own, “he added. They had managed to escape when the bandits sent them to fetch firewood for cooking. Two weeks ago, the kidnappers also released a high school student for medical reasons. “
The question of redemption
According to the head of the plant, no ransom was paid to allow their return. The Federal Government of Nigeria and the State of Kaduna where the school is located prohibit the payment of such ransoms. But criminal groups that regularly carry out such abductions usually demand the money directly from families.
In this specific case, it is difficult to know whether a ransom has been paid or not. The school principal claims that it was their prayers that were heard. Rather, some parents emphasize the hypothesis of the physical weakness of these young children that would have led to their prisoners being released. The conditions for detention in the middle of the forest are really difficult to bear.
Schools are increasingly targeting these criminal gangs that use media coverage of child abductions to obtain redemption. Since December last year, more than 1,000 students and schoolchildren have been captured in Nigeria, with more than 400 still in captivity. The international organization Unicef is concerned about the consequences of these repeated attacks on schools in the country.
Peter Hawkins, representative of Unicef in Nigeria
► To read also: Who are the “bandits” who scour several states in Nigeria?
.
