EXPOSED: The Dirty Dealing That Went Into Release Of Abducted Afaka Students

• The students regained their freedom on Wednesday after spending 55 days in captivity.

The compromise and ground-yielding that went into securing the release of students abducted from the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Kaduna, has been revealed.

In order to ensure safe release of the students, who had been languishing in bandits’ den for weeks on end, the government had to make some dirty dealing with the bandits.

The students regained their freedom on Wednesday after spending 55 days in captivity.

One bandit in police custody was reportedly freed in exchange for the release of students.

According to Daily Trust, after a N15 million ransom was paid, the abductors insisted on the release of a bandit arrested by the police.

The paper reports that the bandit, whose name was given as Laulu, was moved to Kaduna from a police facility in Kano on Tuesday ahead of the students’ release.

Read Also: Parents Of Afaka Students Apologise To Gumi Amid ₦800k Ransom Saga

The negotiations, the paper said, stalled after the abductor, known as Buderu, refused to keep to his side of the bargain even after payment of the agreed ransom.

The father of one Buhari, known as General, who is also a notorious bandit, was said to have been brought in to rein in Buderu.

Buhari was to force the hand of Buderu by using his son to make him agree to the deal.

But Buderu was said to have insisted that even if no more money would be given to him, a relative of his arrested at Falgore forest in Kano state must be released.

Abdullahi Usman, chairman, forum of parents of the abducted students, had said upon release, the students were taken to the residence of one of the mediators to sleep.