Parents of abducted Afaka students protest on Kaduna airport road

Parents of the 39 abducted students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Kaduna state, have taken to the streets to protest against the captivity of their sons and daughters by bandits.

In a viral video, some of the parents, who were armed with placards, were seen crying.

Some colleagues of the victims also protested alongside the parents chanting “release our students” while they blocked vehicular movement.

The students were abducted on March 12, but 172 of them were rescued.

Samuel Aruwan, commissioner for internal security and home affairs, had said the missing students comprised “23 females and 16 males”.

A day after the abduction, a video surfaced online, where the students were seen sitting on the ground in an unknown location and guarded by armed men whose identities were concealed.

The victims, who were seen being tortured by the armed men, appealed to the government to rescue them.

They also appealed against the deployment of security operatives to rescue them, saying their abductors had warned that such a move would be counter-productive.

But Nasir el-Rufai, the governor, said his administration will not negotiate with bandits.

The governor said the state is being attacked by bandits because of its stance.

He also said schools in the state — aside from vulnerable ones located in certain locations — will remain open, despite the incessant attacks.