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From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Defence headquarters (DHQ), yesterday, gave details of how soldiers rescued 137 out of the 287 kidnapped pupils of Kuriga Primary School in Kaduna State.
Director, Defence Media Operations (DMO), Major General Edward Buba, who made the disclosure, said the rescued hostages totalling 137 comprises 76 females and 61 males.
Buba, in a statement, said: “In the early hours of March 24, 2024, the military, working with local authorities and government agencies across the country, in a coordinated search and rescue operation, rescued the hostages.
“The hostages are the same people that were abducted from the school at Kuriga in Chikun LGA of Kaduna State. It would be recalled that, on 7, 2024, troops received information that terrorists had invaded LEA School Kuriga in Chikun LG of Kaduna State.
“During the incident, unconfirmed number of pupils were abducted. Following the incident, the military committed to leaving no stone unturned until all the hostages were rescued. The rescued hostages totalling 137, comprise 76 females and 61 male. They were rescued in Zamfara State and would be conveyed and handed over to the Kaduna State Government for further action.
“Relatedly, it would be recalled that on March 21, troops equally rescued 16 pupils (Almajiris) with a woman taken hostage in Gada LGA of Sokoto State. These hostages were handed over to the Sokoto State Government. These efforts demonstrate the armed forces resolve to finding other innocent hostages and track down the terrorists who perpetrated these crimes.
“These efforts would continue until other hostages are found and the terrorists arrested, tried, and brought to justice by Nigerian law. Troops are employing similar effort to track down the culprits responsible for the killings of 18 soldiers in Okuama community in Delta State. Justice await the culprits, as they cannot go unpunished.”
