Nigerian students who were abducted will be reunited with their families
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) announced that a group of 100 Nigerian youngsters who were saved from kidnappers would be reunited with their families on Tuesday following medical examinations in central Niger state.
In the early hours of November 21, gunmen abducted nearly 300 students and twelve staff members from St. Mary’s boarding school, making it one of the deadliest mass kidnappings in the nation in more than ten years.
“We are currently traveling with the 100 pupils from Minna to Papiri. “I think their parents are at the school by now, waiting to meet us,” Daniel Atori, the CAN spokesperson in Niger, stated.
Minna, the capital of Niger, is seven hours’ journey from Papiri, a hamlet in the country.
A parent named Dauda Gwanja claimed he received a call asking him to pick up his 15-year-old son at the school.
“We look forward to reuniting with our son and praying that this never happens again,” he continued.
50 of the abducted pupils escaped shortly after they were apprehended, and over 100 remain missing in addition to those released on Monday.
REMAINING QUESTIONS ABOUT RESCUE OPERATION
Concern at the students’ release has swiftly given place to inquiries from security professionals about the rescue’s methodology.
It is unclear whether the children were released through negotiations, ransom payments, or a security operation because Nigerian government officials and President Bola Tinubu have not provided details about the rescue.
According to a senior government official who asked not to be identified, information was being kept secret for security reasons and out of concern that it might endanger the release of individuals who are still in detention.
Frequently, the Nigerian government denies that it pays kidnappers ransom.
The amount of youngsters that were still unaccounted for also caused confusion.
On Monday, Tinubu said that 115 children were still missing, while on Tuesday, CAN insisted that 153 students and 12 teachers were still unaccounted for.
Managing Children Affected by Trauma
According to Niger state officials, Monday night the released pupils had medical examinations.
According to Theresa Pamma, a UNICEF field officer from northern Kaduna state who helps with the children’s care, the pupils will also consult mental health professionals.
Teachers at the school and in the neighborhoods where some of the pupils are from will receive training on how to deal with traumatized children, according to Pamma.
After being in captivity for two weeks, Pamma stated, “those children certainly need some help”
