Niger: 15 teachers kidnapped in Islamic school escape in Zamfara

15 of the teachers abducted from a school in Niger State three weeks ago have escaped their captors in neighbouring Zamfara State.

Bandits' attacked Salihu Tanko Islamic School in Tegina, Rafi local government area of the state on May 30, 2021, and kidnapped 136 students and teachers.

Parents of the hostages, some as young as four years old, have since then accused the government of abandoning them to their fate, with the kidnappers demanding a ransom of N150 million.

Governor Abubakar Sani Bello finally met the parents at the palace of the Emir of Kagara, Ahmed Gunna, according to an official statement released on Monday, June 21.

He urged them to exercise patience as government explores all avenues to see to the safe rescue of their children.

The headmaster of the school, Abubakar Alhassan, said during the meeting that 15 of the abducted teachers have escaped their captors in Zamfara.

They have been housed at a military facility in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, and will soon be handed over to the Niger State Government.

Parents of schoolchildren abducted in Niger State [Niger State Government] Pulse Nigeria

The governor later met with a combined force of security agencies to comb the forests to rescue the abducted children.

He said it was time to take decisive action against bandits that are forcefully changing the lives of the people, especially in the rural areas.

"We have to try our possible best not to make them succeed in forcing us to change our normal lives.

"They started by displacing farmers from their farmlands, next moved to burning farms, then moved to kidnappings, and forcing us to close our schools.

"Now they have started attacking Islamic schools. Only God knows what is next," he said.

Bello also called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts to ensure that adequate measures are put in place to end banditry in the country.