Over three hundred students kidnapped by bandits and later released on Thursday, 17th December arrived at the Government House in Katsina on Friday, 18th December.

The students who were kept at Tsafe, a local government area in Zamfara State were kidnapped last week Friday, 11th December.

Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State received the students and assured them that they would be taken care of.

The government did not give a specific figure of students released by their captors.

Shortly after their release was reported, President Muhammadu Buhari described the safe return of the schoolboys as a big relief to their families, the entire country and to the international community.

He commended what he called the spirit of partnership and the collaborative efforts of the governments of Katsina, Zamfara and military which led to the release of the students.

“The Governor (Masari) and the army worked extremely hard. As soon as I got the information, I congratulated them.

“The Armed Forces know their job. They have been well trained and properly motivated,” President Buhari was quoted as saying in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu.

Katsina State is located in the north-west region of the country, but the Boko Haram terrorist group which has been operating in the North East for more than a decade claimed responsibility for the abduction.

The abduction of the students sparked an outrage with calls from various individuals and groups on the government to step up efforts towards securing the lives of the people.

It occurred at a time when President Muhammadu Buhari had travelled to Daura, his hometown in Katsina for a private visit.

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