Two hundred and seventy-nine young girls, who were abducted from the Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe, Zamfara state last Friday, have regained their freedom after their release in the early hours of Tuesday.
The students were received by Governor Bello Mohammed at the Government House in the state capital, Gusau.
The state government insisted it was a negotiated release and that no ransom was paid
The last time a horde of young girls were abducted was in February 2018 in Dapshi. One hundred and ten students were taken from their school. One Leah Sharibu never returned.
Prior to that, in April 2014 In Chibok, Borno state, northeast Nigeria 276 girls were taken by Boko Haram. One hundred and twelve of them yet to be accounted for.
And so, when news broke early hours of last Friday that 317 young girls have been abducted by gunmen in their school in Zamfara, it was like history repeating itself.
Happening in the context of the brazen activities of marauding armed bandits in the north-central and the northwest, this was totally unexpected. A few days earlier in Niger state, students and staff of Government Science College Kagara were abducted by bandits.
And in November last year, 333 boys were abducted from their school in Kankara, Katsina state. It has become like thriving crime, committed with impunity.
But for the parents of the Jangebe girls, agony of the past five days was replaced with relief after the girls were released by their captors.
One of the parents of the victims, Yakubu Musa who was in high spirits wants the government to review the security strategy to deal with the bandits.
The Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Mohammed who has continued with his policy of negotiating with armed bandits, insisted that no ransom was paid and that the number was 279 contrary to earlier report of over 317 girls.
The government has promised to redouble its efforts at providing safe schools across the state, especially the girl child.
The Jangebe girls’ abduction is the third mass school abductions in three months with fears that it may not be the last.
