PHOTOS: Kidnapped Zamfara Schoolgirls Arrive State House For Press Briefing

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Hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by terrorists last Friday from their hostel in Government Girls Secondary School, GGSC, Jangebe, Zamfara State have been hosted by the state Governor Bello Matawalle after their release.

The Governor announced that 279 girls were freed in the series of mass kidnappings of students and others in Nigeria which has become almost a daily occurrence.

GIOTV saw that hundreds of the girls were dressed in light blue hijabs sitting at the state Government House office in Gusau.

After the meeting, the girls were escorted outside by officials and taken away in vans. They appeared calm and ranged in ages from 10 and up.

“Alhamdulillah! (God be praised!) It gladdens my heart to announce the release of the abducted students of GGSS Jangebe from captivity. This follows the scaling of several hurdles laid against our efforts. I enjoin all well-meaning Nigerians to rejoice with us as our daughters are now safe,” Matawalle said in a post on Twitter early Tuesday.

At the time of the attack, one resident said gunmen also attacked a nearby military camp and checkpoint, preventing soldiers from responding to the mass abduction at the school.

Nigeria has seen several such attacks and kidnappings in recent years. On Saturday, 24 students, six staff and eight relatives were released after being abducted on February 17 from the Government Science College Kagara in Niger state. In December, more than 300 schoolboys from a secondary school in Kankara, in northwestern Nigeria, were taken and later released. The government has said no ransom was paid for the students’ release.

Other organized armed groups, locally called bandits, often abduct students for money. The government says large groups of armed men in Zamfara state are known to kidnap for money and to press for the release of their members held in jail.

Experts say if the kidnappings continue to go unpunished, they may continue.

President Muhammadu Buhari said last week that the government would not “succumb to blackmail by bandits and criminals who target innocent school students in expectation of huge ransom payments.” He called on state governments to review their policy of making payments, in money or vehicles, to bandits, saying such a policy has the potential to backfire.

The president also in his Twitter handle said:

“I join the affected families and the people of Zamfara State in welcoming and celebrating the release of the abducted students of GGSS Jangebe. This news bring overwhelming joy. I am pleased that their ordeal has come to a happy end without any incident”. He added.