The Bethel Baptist High School, Kaduna was agog Sunday morning when 28 out of the 115 students of the school in bandits’ captivity for the past 20 days were released to their parents.
The school was attacked on July 5, 2021 with 121 students abducted but six of the students were later released in three batches, before now.
The newly released students, who were of varying ages and cut across different classes from JSS 1 to SSS 3 were looking frail, some were limping and had to be lifted up and backed by their joyous parents.
Addressing the parents and members of the school management before the students were reunited with their parents at the school premises, President of the Nigeria Baptist Convention, Rev. Dr. Israel Akanji said the bandits promised that the students would be released in batches adding that this was the first batch.
“We just received an anonymous call who told us to go and pick our children in so so place, 28 of them were released 87 are left with the bandits, six of them have been released earlier. As a group, we don’t believe in ransom payment, but we believe God will bring them back and that is what happened.”
Speaking on the role played by Kaduna state government in the release of the students, Rev. Akanji said, “we spoke with the governor of the state and he promised to assists us in securing the release of the students. He told me some of the things they are putting together to assist us and he said in security you don’t divulge what you are doing.
“We believe whatever he was doing should have ensured the release of the students before now. We came in agitated, we have been praying for their release and God did it.”
