Updated: 27 Kagara Students, 15 Others Not Yet Released By Abductors

The 27 students of Government Science College, Kagara, Niger State and 15 others have not been released by their abductors.

Mary Noel-Berje, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello corrected the earlier report that the students and others abducted 17 February have been released.

“Those released are the NSTA bus abductees and they have just arrived Government House, while efforts are being intensified to get the Kagara students released”, she clarified.

She appealed to the public to stop mixing the the stories.

“Please I will want to draw the attention of the general public to stop mixing up the story”, she wrote on Twitter.

Twenty-seven students of the Government Science School, three staff and 12 family members were abducted by gunmen last week Wednesday in Kagara Local Government.

There have been negotiations between the bandits and the Niger State Government for their release after the intervention of Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi

Earlier, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello announced the release of the abducted 21 passengers of Niger State Mass Transit bus.

He announced their release on Twitter on Sunday, one week after they were captured.

The 21 passengers were abducted by the bandits, while travelling from Kontagora to Minna on 14 February.

On 17 February, the RPG wielding bandits released video and photos of the captives, threatening to kill them.

Governor Bello did not indicate whether ransom was paid to get the captives released.

*Updated with the clarification from Mary Noel-Berje, chief Press secretary