From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
One of the more than 200 students abducted from Kuriga community in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Mustapha Abubakar, a JSS III pupil, has narrated his experience after escaping from the kidnappers’ den on Friday.
He said the bandits fed all of the kidnapped victims with just three bottles of soft drinks, while the kidnappers struggled over few oranges to feed themselves.
According to Abubakar, “When they gave us the soft drinks, we were all tired. God helped me; as we were walking, I was just looking for a way to escape. Then, God showed me one place. I knew that once I entered the place, I would be able to escape.
“Then I saw a place and I felt down and dragged my body on the ground. Then, I lied down. I was there for like an hour, lying down and the entire place was wet with sweat.
“So, for me, it’s God that helped me to escape because we walked a long distance. After walking the long distance, we would sit down, and they would give all the boys only three soft drinks to share.”
Recalling how the victims were moved into the forest, he said the bandits came with motorcycles to pick the pupils.
“They came to our school on 25 motorcycles about 8.30 am when we where trying to enter our classrooms. Then, some of the gunmen dropped on the main road and others surrounded the schools and took us to the bush”. Abubakar added.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, visited the Kuriga community on Friday to empathise with the people over the incident.
Meanwhile, the state governor, Uba Sani, has assured parents of the kidnapped pupils that the children would return home unhurt.