Police: Two abducted Kaduna Baptist school students escaped from their captors

Two of the abducted students of Bethel Baptist High School in Chikun LGA of Kaduna State have escaped from their captors.

Confirming the development to TheCable, Mohammed Jalige, spokesperson of Kaduna state police command, said the two students were sighted on Wednesday evening around Rijanna area along the Kaduna-Abuja highway.

“Yes, two of the students were rescued this evening along Kaduna-Abuja highway and they are undergoing medical examination,” he told TheCable in a phone call.

In a press statement on Thursday, Jalige said on Wednesday at about 3.30am, the command was informed  by a good Samaritan that two students of the school were sighted and believed to have escaped from their captors.

He said a report was lodged with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Rijana, who got hold of the students, after which investigation confirmed they were victims of the bandits.

”The students said that on Tuesday, July 20 , 2021, at about 6pm, they were tasked by their captors to go and fetch firewood from the nearby forest where they were held hostage,” Jalige said.

”They, however, decided to take the opportunity of not being monitored and escape to Rijana community along Kaduna – Abuja highway.

”The two boys are currently undergoing medical examination at Police Medical facility before re-uniting them with their family, while tactical approach is being intensified to secure the release of the remaining students.”

A total of 121 students were abducted from their hostels by bandits on July 5.

Last week, the police rescued one of the students inside a forest, while two were rescued today, thereby bringing the number of those rescued to three.

Israel Akanji, president of the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC), said no ransom will be paid for the release of the abducted students.

He said for the past 166 years, the Baptist Church has operated secondary schools in Nigeria, and “it has never happened that our children would be taken away.”