Kidnapped Kaduna Student Released After 800 Days In Captivity

After 800 days of captivity, a Kaduna high school student, identified as Treasure Ayubac, has been released.

Gunmen stormed Bethel Baptist High School in Damishi, Kaduna, on July 5, 2021, and kidnapped 121 students. The bandits have been releasing students in batches since then. Ayubac was the last one to be released on Nov. 2.

"The released pupil was among the 121 children who were kidnapped by bandits in July 2021 from their school premises in Maraban Damishi, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Treasure Ayuba has since been reunited with his loved ones," Kaduna State Governor Sen. Uba Sani said over the weekend, PremiumTimes reported.

Israel Akanji, president of the Nigeria Baptist Convention, expressed relief, saying, "Glory be to God! Glory be to God!! Glory be to God!!! Treasure Ayuba, the last boy who was still with the bandits who kidnapped the 121 students of Bethel Baptist High School, Kaduna, on July 5, 2021, has just returned home today, November 2, 2023."

Just one month after the kidnapping, the bandits released around 100 students after their parents paid a ransom. The amount was not disclosed. The rest of the students have been released in small batches.

Police claimed in September that they had arrested three people, identified as Ishaku Lawal, Muazu Abubakar and Adam Bello, out of 25 bandits who kidnapped the students.

While the Kaduna students were released after paying the ransom, in some cases, the bandits won't release captives even after receiving the money. For instance, a group of bandits in the Zamfara state had refused to release captives belonging to the Janbako community, despite being paid N17 million as ransom last month.

Kidnapping is not new in Nigeria as the country is suffering from a "kidnap epidemic." From July 2022 to June 2023 alone, 3,620 people have been kidnapped in the country.

Last month, the Nasarawa State Command of the Nigeria Police Force confirmed that gunmen entered a community in Keffi and abducted four university students, who were reportedly taken to an unknown location. They were 100-level students.