15 teachers abducted in Niger school have escaped, says headmaster

Abubakar Alhassan, the headmaster of Salihu Tanko Islamic School in Niger state, says 15 of the teachers abducted from the school have escaped from captivity.

Alhassan spoke when Abubakar Bello, governor of the state, met with parents of the abducted schoolchildren at the palace of Ahmed Gunna, Emir of Kagara, on Monday.

Many students and teachers were abducted from the school located in Tegina town in Rafi LGA of the state on May 30.

TheCable had reported that the bandits had demanded N110m ransom for the release of the 156 abducted schoolchildren.

Alhassan said the escaped teachers were in a military facility in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna state, where they would be handed over to the Niger government.

On his part, the governor advised parents of the abducted students to exercise patience as the government was exploring all avenues to ensure their safe rescue.

Bello, while addressing a special squad of combined security personnel deployed to Rafi LGA, lamented the spate of kidnapping and insecurity in the state.

According to a statement by Mary Noel-Berje, chief press secretary to the governor, Bello said the time has come for his government to take decisive action “once and for all” to end banditry in the state.

“We will give you all the necessary support to enable you to implement all your security strategies to ensure the safe return of our abducted children and others, if any,” the governor said.

“We have tried 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 they moved to burning farms.

“Then, they moved to kidnapping and forcing us to close our schools, now they have started attacking Islamic schools, only God knows what is next.”

The governor told the special squad that logistics had been provided for them and also promised that their allowances and other financial benefits would always be provided as and when due.

He also commended the security personnel for their efforts in the ongoing fight against banditry and other criminal elements in the state.