Zamfara School Abduction: Negotiations Between Kidnappers, Authorities Near Conclusion

The abducted students of Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Zamfara State, may regain freedom today.

According to Punch, negotiations with the bandits who kidnapped the schoolgirls have reached an advanced stage.

Zamfara State Governor Bello Matawalle

Bandits had on Friday morning kidnapped over 300 schoolgirls at Jangebe.

The girls were believed to have been taken to a forest by the gunmen, who abducted the schoolgirls by reportedly disguising as security personnel.

The source, who spoke with Punch, said the kidnapped schoolgirls were kept in a forest between Dangulbi and Sabon Birnin Banaga in the Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

“As I am speaking to you now (Saturday), vehicles have been arranged for their evacuation to Gusau town, the state capital,” the source said.

It is, however, not clear yet whether money was paid to secure the girls’ release from the bandits.

The source also said the kidnapped schoolgirls were 279 and not 317 as earlier reported by the media – though some of the girls were reported to have escaped from captivity.

Also, a parent of one of the kidnapped schoolgirls, Mallam Garba Ibrahim, said parents of the abducted school children had been informed that their children would be released soon.

 “We have been intimated by the authorities of this good news,” he said. 

Another parent, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “They told us that we should relax because our children have already been released by their captors.”

The parent said two of his daughters were among the kidnapped schoolgirls.

Also speaking, the father of three of the kidnapped schoolgirls, Mohammed Gashi, said he had been informed about the positive development.

Gashi said he had four daughters in the school, narrating that his fourth daughter was able to escape from the school premises during the abduction.

Gashi said he was in his house when he received the news that the bandits had agreed to release his daughters.

“You cannot imagine how happy I was when the news came to me that our children would be released soon,” he said.

“I have been unable to sleep since the children were abducted because their mother died when she (the mother) was kidnapped two years ago,” he added.

However, the Zamfara Police Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Shehu, refused to confirm whether the girls would be freed or not.

“When tomorrow comes, we will know. For now, no further comment on the matter,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Zamfara State government has said it is expecting good news on the abducted schoolgirls.

The state government, however, refused to either confirm or deny the rumours that the state and the abductors had reached an agreement concerning the expected release of the schoolgirls.

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