28 of the students kidnapped at Bethley Baptist high school have been released today. On arrival, the students looked sick with some of them limping and they had to be assisted by their parents who were filled with joy upon their arrival. The released students had spent 20 days in captivity.
Bethley Baptist High School is located along the Kaduna-Kachia highway, Damishi, Chikun Local Government Area of the state. Bandits invaded the school premises in the early hours of 5th of July around 2 am capturing 121 students.
Earlier on, three of the kidnapped students had escaped from the bandits and up until the Sunday release, 118 students had been with the bandits, with a ransom of N60m being demanded by their abductors. However, according to Joseph Hayab, one of the senior officials at Bethley Baptist high school in an interview with Guardian newspaper he said: “As a leader, I will be lying if I say there was no money involved but I will not be able to tell you how much was given”
The Proprietor of the school, who is also the President, Kaduna Baptist Conference, Rev. Ishaya Jangado, while breaking the news of the release of the 28 students at the school premises on Sunday added that the bandits have promised to release the students in batches. He also said that the leadership of the school was doing everything humanly possible to see to the release of all the students.
The students released were from various classes ranges from JSS1 to SSS3. Parents of the students who are still being held in captivity were seen shedding tears at the school premises today.
