No fewer than four of the remaining 11 schoolgirls abducted from the Federal Government College Birnin Yauri in Kebbi State, have regained their freedom.
FGGC Birnin Yauri was ransacked on June 17, 2021 and dozens of students and 5 teachers were kidnapped from the federal government-owned mixed boarding school.
On February 21, 2022, at least 13 of the female students were said to be married off to bandits, with some of them already pregnant.
11 of the students had remained in captivity despite huge sums of money being paid as ransom and prisoner swaps at different times.
In January, Kaoje had confirmed that they were in talks with Dogo Gide after they sought intervention through the mother of the bandit.
However, two years after the abduction, four of the remaining 11 girls in captivity have now regained their freedom.
Daily Trust reports that the four girls–Bilha Musa, Faiza Ahmed, Rahma Abdullahi and Hafsa Murtala–were released by notorious bandit leader, Dogo Gide on Friday evening.
“It took six days of negotiations in the forest before four of the girls were released to us,” Salim Kaoje told Daily Trust on Saturday morning.
“We have seven more still in captivity and two of the parents are still in the forest trying to secure their release.”
He said they had paid an undisclosed amount of money to secure the release of the four girls after they sold their properties and organised a fund raising that saw many Nigerians assist the parents financially.