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88 days in hell: Our captors flogged us everyday, fed us kunnu, rice – Freed Tegina school children

Published

3 years ago

August 28, 2021

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T.B. Joshua, others helped in ransom payment — Head teacher

It was songs of victory and praises to God for bringing home their children after 88 days of horror in the kidnappers’ den.

The children of the Salihu Tanko Islamiyya School, Tegina are now relating their experiences. Mostly little children, the children said that they were fed mostly rice and kunnu (a local delicacy) during their 88 days in captivity and were flogged daily by their abductors.

Furera Isah, one of the abductees, who spoke about their experiences at the hands of their captors, said they enjoyed no comfort whatsoever throughout the period as they were made to sleep on bare ground and were ceaselessly beaten by rain. She said: “The months we spent there were not comfortable at all. Our lives were not sweet. They beat us all the time. Every time, they call us at night to beat us.

“As for food, they gave us rice and kunnu. We usually ate three times a day. They did not starve us. But they beat us every time.

“They allowed us to pray. We slept in a shabby place. The rain usually beats us whenever it falls.”

Furera recalled that their captors made them to trek for four days after they were abducted, saying that none of them was carried on the bandits’ motorcycles.

“After they carried us from the school, we walked very far. We spent four days on the road. Even when we were tired, they beat us and forced us to walk.”

Another of the pupils, who spoke barely before he was whisked away by medical personnel, said that none of them was assaulted or molested.

“They did not touch us; they only beat us. They flogged us every day,” he said.

Medical personnel confirmed that they discovered a lot of marks on the bodies of the children, which was evidence that they were beaten continuously.

91 pupils abducted, 90 released – Government

Meanwhile, the Niger State governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, said that 91 pupils of the school were abducted by bandits, adding that one was killed during their stay in captivity.

Bello, who received the released children in Government House Minna, said that 90 students were released alongside two of the teachers.

He said: “Late last night, moving into the early morning of this morning, we received the abducted Tegina Islamiyya children that were kidnapped on the 30th of May this year.

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“They arrived in Minna in the early hours of this morning, and since then, the medical officials have been attending to them to assure of their health status.

“In total, 91 children were kidnapped and we have received 90. We lost one of them. Alongside the 91 children, two other people were abducted, who have been released as well. The total number received is 92.

“All the children have been checked and all of them but four appear to be okay. We will be releasing them to their parents who are eager to have their loved ones back to them.”

The governor declared that those who abducted the children are sick and mad, adding that the government is taking all necessary measures to ensure that they are hunted down and prosecuted.

He said: “I will like to congratulate all of us who have contributed towards the release of the children. This goes to show that there is sickness and madness in the head of some people. Otherwise, I can’t explain or imagine why you will abduct a three-year-old and keep him or her for more than 80 days.

“I can assure you that we will do what it takes to bring them to justice. We have put in place all necessary measures to hunt down and prosecute those involved in this act.”

Appreciating God and everyone for an end to the saga of the abducted children, the governor said the incident has affected the confidence of the people in government and made parents to think twice before sending their children to school, adding that measures were being taken to strengthen security in all the schools across the state.

“It is my prayer that Allah will not allow us to see this again in Niger State and Nigeria. This has affected the morale, the confidence in people and made parents think twice before they send their children to school.

“Put in place measures to secure schools. Close down schools in the forest until the security situation improves,” he said.

It’s special Friday for us – Parents

It was a joy overflow for parents who received their children after they had stayed in the kidnapper’s den for 88 days.

READ Police arrest 10 dangerous kidnappers on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

Habiba Aliyu, a mother, expressed joy in having her son back.

She said: “I thank Allah and the government that made us to see this day. It is a special Friday for us parents. We have been crying day and night and Allah has turned our cry into joy.

“We thank Allah and the governor for his commitment, and the (local government) Chairman for his contribution towards the release of the children. We thank the headmaster. We have been patient and we have been rewarded for our patience. My child is back to me.”

Another parent, Idris Umar, whose son died in captivity, said that he felt sad that his son was the one that died, saying that the past 88 days has been very traumatic for the parents.

“It has been a traumatic experience. I don’t wish my enemies to experience such. It is such a terrible thing. You can see for yourself.

Parent

“Look at the age bracket of the children. Even if you are not a parent and you see this, you will feel bad. That is how we have felt for the past three months. We are just having a sense of relief now that our children are back.

“Five of my children were abducted but one of them died. I feel sad but it is destined to be. The only thing is that I am not happy with the place he died or the way he died. I would have preferred he died in my arms.”

Umar, who is also the proprietor of the school, said that the incident would not stop the operation of the school.

“The school will still be operational. This incident will not discourage us. We will not close the school, but we will make arrangements for it to be more secure,” he said.

Explaining the disparity in number, Umar explained that there was a mix-up as they initially collated the names of 136 students that were abducted, but they later discovered that a lot of parents who found their children hid them and did not inform them that they had found their children.

“He said: “Ninety-two of them were abducted. Initially, we had 136, but after three weeks, we discovered that some ran away and escaped. Despite the escape, some parents found their children but did not tell us.”

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How we raised money for ransom – Head teacher

It was not clear last night how much was paid as ransom before the pupils were released, but a source said they paid additional N18 million to the initial payment of N50 million they paid when the ransom was reduced from N200 million. They were also said to have supplied some motorcycles to the bandits as part of the conditions given for their release.

But the head teacher of the school, Abubakar Alhassan, said the road to the release of the children was a long and tortuous one for the parents and people of Tegina. According to him, a lot of people contributed to the release of the children, saying that they paid a ransom before the children were released.

“It has been a long process. We cannot mention it all. People have contributed. Individuals everywhere joined in to contribute. Muslims contributed, the Imams contributed, pastors contributed. We even had the late Pastor TB Joshua who contributed. We received blessings from people we know and people we don’t know.

We paid the ransom. I can’t say the total number paid but we paid a lot. We took money to the bandits. We know the process and way we followed to get the ransom to give to the bandits and get them to release the children.”

Also speaking about the number of children abducted, Alhassan explained that 91 children and two adults were abducted, adding that he gave 136 as the children abducted because he was told it was the number abducted.

“The reason why I gave the figure of the abducted children as 136 was that when the incident happened, I was upset. I couldn’t sit down and give the authentic register and number of children abducted.

“I assigned my staff and committee of the parents and the district head to go round so that they can see the total number and they said it was 136.

“But later on, I went from house to house to see how many pupils were in each house, and from there, I followed my register and realised that it was 91. But I couldn’t come to the media to say so because I did not want to criticise myself. “

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Related Topics:FREED KIDNAPPERS TEGINA SCHOOL

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Metro News

Dark Sunday: 19 people burnt to death in Okene-Lokoja highway auto crash

Published

13 hours ago

April 28, 2024

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Nineteen people were, on Sunday, burnt to death in an auto crash along the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi state.

In a statement by Jonas Agwu, its public education officer, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said the accident involved a Dangote truck with registration details NSH680YJ and a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number KMC455ZE.

According to the FRSC, both vehicles suffered a head-on collision after a route violation by the truck, resulting in an inferno.

The agency said out of the all-male 22 passengers involved in the accident, three were rescued.

“The TYT bus loaded from Kano was on its lane on the highway when the Dangote Truck driver who drove all the way from Port Harcourt wrongfully overtook a vehicle & collided head-on with the bus. The impact of the collision resulted in an inferno that burnt the victims to death,” the statement reads.

“Unfortunately, 19 people out of the 22 victims were killed and 1 injured. The remaining 2 victims who got rescued by FRSC operatives without injuries survived the crash because they complied with traffic regulations on compulsory use of seatbelt.

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“The corpses of the dead victims whose lives were claimed by the crash have been deposited at Okene General Hospital.”

Dauda Biu, the FRSC corps marshal, said the agency will continue its ongoing prosecution of drivers “who by their actions cause road traffic crashes in Nigeria”.

Biu further called on the judiciary and leadership of transport unions and other relevant stakeholders in the road transportation sector to join hands with the corps to ensure speedy and effective prosecution of offenders.

Metro News

Man trying to escape arrest drowns in Lagos Lagoon

Published

15 hours ago

April 28, 2024

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A man, simply identified as Azeez, has allegedly jumped into the lagoon in Lagos and drowned while trying to evade arrest for stealing some bags of cement.

The Spokesperson of the Police Command in Lagos, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this on Sunday.

Hundeyin said that the Director in charge of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) operations in Lagos Central, (name not mentioned), reported the case to Ikoyi Police Division on Friday at about 12.20 p.m.

Hundeyin said that the director reported that at about 10.45 a.m. on Friday, he received a call that there was an incident at Lekki/Ikoyi Link Bridge.

According to him, on getting to the scene, he met a large crowd gathered by the waterside, watching the lifeless body of a man who had drowned.

“The deceased was later identified as Azeez. He was later confirmed dead by paramedics of Pre Hospital Care, Lagos.

“It was discovered that one Elijah Amos, the seller of the cement, was pursuing the deceased before he jumped into the Lagoon because he was alleged to have stolen some bags of cement,” Hundeyin said.

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Hundeyin said that the scene was visited by the police, while the corpse had been evacuated to Mainland General Hospital Mortuary, Yaba, for autopsy and preservation.

He added that an investigation into the case was in progress.

Metro News

Two notorious drug kingpins bag life imprisonment for Cocaine trafficking

Published

20 hours ago

April 28, 2024

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Two notorious drug kingpins, Uwaezuoke Ikenna Christian and Agbo Chidike Prince, will now spend the rest of their lives in jail, following their arrests and prosecution by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The sentencing of the two drug kingpins was disclosed in a statement signed by the spokesperson of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, and made available to Channels Television on Sunday.

He said that the journey of Uwaezuoke, a 43-year-old businessman to a lifetime in jail began when he was first arrested by NDLEA operatives on 19th March 2022 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia after he was found to have ingested 100 big wraps of cocaine weighing 2.243 kilograms.

“He was subsequently arraigned at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2022 and was granted bail on certain conditions after he pleaded not guilty. He thereafter absconded, leading the court to revoke his bail and issue an arrest warrant against him.

“In a curious twist, Uwaezuoke was again arrested by NDLEA operatives on 1st August 2023, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos while attempting to export 1.822 kilograms of cocaine to India through ingestion using a different passport and under a different name, Ilonzeh Kingsley Onyebuchi.

“He was again arraigned before Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division in charge number FHC/L/554C/2023. He pleaded guilty to the two counts charge and was convicted and sentenced on 18th October 2023 to a total term of seven years of imprisonment or a fine of ₦1, 500,000.00. He paid the fine and was transferred to Abuja to face the importation case pending against him.

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“He was re-arraigned on 20th March 2024 at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2022 before Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik, where he pleaded guilty again. Despite his plea, the court, noting his lack of remorse, the seriousness of drug-related offences and the fact that he is a repeated offender, convicted and sentenced him to life imprisonment,” the statement said.

In the case of 42-year-old Agbo Chidike Prince, Babafemi said he was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja during the outward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines flight to Hong Kong on 21st October 2023 for ingesting 49 wraps of cocaine weighing 998.73grams.

“Upon his arraignment before Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, the defendant pleaded guilty to the one count charge, prompting the prosecution to present evidence and review the facts of the case.

“Despite the plea of allocutus by the defendant’s counsel, the court, noting the nature of the case and the commercial quantity of the drug, emphasized the seriousness of drug-related offences, convicted and sentenced the defendant on 15th April, 2024 to life imprisonment.”

Meanwhile, NDLEA said its officers at the gate C departure hall of the Lagos airport on Friday 26th April arrested a passenger, Yahaya Danjuma Oturah, while attempting to export 4,000 pills of tramadol 225mg to Malpensa, Italy on an Ethiopian Airline flight.

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The Agency further narrated, “The psychoactive substance was found concealed in women wears and granulated melon packed in the suspect’s backpack and another bag containing food items. In his statement, Oturah who is a frequent flyer confessed he was hired to courier the drug for 700 Euros on successful delivery of the consignment in Italy.

“In Bayelsa, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 24th April arrested 28-year-old Jennifer Iliya at Amarata area of Yenagoa for producing and distributing cakes laced with illicit drugs especially cannabis sativa. At the time of her arrest, substantial number of the drugged cakes weighing 1.5kg were recovered from her. A 20-year-old hair stylist, Josephine Odunu and a dispatch rider, Edesemi Ikporo, 30, had been arrested on Sunday 10th March by NDLEA operatives for in Yenagoa for a similar offence.

“Two suspects: Joseph Dadik, 47, and Bensha Yari, 32, were arrested with 24,180 ampoules of pentazocine injection weighing 135.5 kilograms at Sabon Tasha, Kaduna, while Adamu Umar, 18, was nabbed with 20.700kg cannabis when his house in Shuware area of Mubi, Adamawa state was raided on Friday 26th April.

“No less than 310.7kg cannabis was recovered on Thursday 25th April when NDLEA operatives raided parts of Mushin in Lagos state. While 300kg was seized at Olatunji Street, Mushin, 10.7kg of same substance was retrieved from two suspects: Tijani Wasiu and Suleiman Aisha at Anifowose, Mushin.

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“While Stanley Chukwudi, 43, was arrested with 5,900 ampoules of pentazocine injection at Sabon Gari area of Kano State on Thursday 25th April, a couple, Fredrick Odion, 53, and Gladys Odion, 52, were nabbed with 50kg cannabis at Iruekpen, Esan west LGA, Edo state by NDLEA officers on Wednesday 24th April.

“With the same zeal, the various commands of the Agency across the country continued with the War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy campaign in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitisation lecture for students and staff of Federal Government College, Nise, Anambra; Royal Institute of Health Technology, Ifo, Ogun state; Akpugo-Eze High School, Oji-River, Enugu; Modibbo Adama University, Yola, Adamawa; and Jubilee Secondary School, Ore, Ondo state, among others.

“While commending the officers and men of the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services of the Agency for the diligent prosecution of Uwazuoke and Agbo cases, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) said the success rate of cases prosecuted by the agency has shown that there’s no escape route for those involved in the illicit trade of drug trafficking.

“He equally applauded those of MMIA, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Edo, Adamawa and Bayelsa Commands as well as their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their drug supply and drug demand reduction activities.”