Presidential candidates of the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party in the February 25 election, Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, respectively, have expressed their excitement at the rescue of the abducted schoolchildren in Kaduna State.
The Independent Mirror reports that Both of them made their positions known in separate messages posted on their respective X handles on Sunday.
About 287 schoolchildren and some staff of the LEA School, Kuriga in the Chikun Local Government Area in Kaduna, were abducted by bandits on Thursday, March 7, on the school premises.
Their abductors subsequently requested a ransom of N1 billion for their release, setting a deadline of March 27, 2024, for the payment.
However, the Defence Headquarters, on Sunday, said troops rescued the abducted pupils and teachers within Zamfara State with support from local authorities and government agencies.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen. Edward Buba said, “The rescued hostages totalling 137 comprise of 76 females and 61 males were rescued in Zamfara State and would be conveyed and handed over to the Kaduna State Government for further action.”
They also called for an end to the “scourge of insecurity completely.”
Thier tweets read in parts, “It is comforting to hear that 287 school children abducted in Kaduna have been released. It is hard to imagine the mental pain and trauma the children must have gone through in the hands of their abductors.
