By our reporter| A six months pregnant lady and another preparing for her wedding are among the students abducted at Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation in Afaka, Igabi local government area of Kaduna state, on Thursday night by bandits.
In one of the videos released by the bandits, one of the escaped students from the attack identified the pregnant student Maman Ahmed.
In the video, a bandit was heard ordering Ahmed to face the camera and speak.
Speaking in Hausa, she said: “Salamu alaikum, I am one of the students that were abducted from Forestry Mechanisation the day before yesterday. We are appealing to the government to help us. We heard they are saying that they will send soldiers to rescue us, we are urging them not to send anyone because they have said that if soldiers come, none of us will return home,” she said.
According to the students, another victim, identified as Rose Okoye was reportedly preparing for her wedding before the abduction on Thursday night.
Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai earlier disclosed that informants must have alerted the bandits who invaded the school.
El-Rufai who revealed that the government got intelligence that bandits were planning to attack a secondary school close to the forestry college, said security operatives were alerted immediately and they moved to the school.
According to the governor, some informants must have alerted the bandits that the secondary school was protected by the military and that could have informed their decision to target the college.
The Nigerian Army corroborated the governor’s claim on the attempt to attack a secondary school.
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Yerima, in a statement, said while troops were protecting the secondary school, bandits headed to the forestry college.
“Acting on a tip- off on the impending abduction of the school children, troops quickly mobilized to protect the school from the bandits.
“However, while the troops were securing the secondary school, another distress call came that bandits had stormed the Federal School of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Igabi Local Government Area of the state with aim of kidnapping the staff and students. The troops swiftly moved to Afaka and decisively engaged the armed bandits.
“The bandits were said to have broken into the institution by breaching the perimeter fence of the school.
“The rescued students have been evacuated to a safe place while the injured are presently receiving medical attention at a military facility,” he said.
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