Plateau State Governor and Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, Simon Lalong, has said that the abducted students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization in Kaduna State will be released soon.
Lalong gave the assurance when he visited his counterpart in Nasarawa State, Governor Abdullahi Sule on Saturday.
“We are very hopeful that at the end of the day, those students will be rescued,” Governor Lalong said while assuring an improved security situation in the country.
“We are raising consciousness and making people get alert at the insecurity. We are really putting every measure and very hopeful like the military has said, that in the next few months, everything will be over.”
The governor’s remarks come shortly after the kidnapped students called for help in a disturbing video.
The abducted students were seen being beaten by their captors, as they pleaded with the government to rescue them.
They were seen huddled together and sitting on tree leaves, with gun-wielding men, some of them dressed in military uniform, keeping watch over them.
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On Thursday night, gunmen stormed the school in Kaduna State and kidnapped over 200 students.
Of the figure, the military rescued about 180 students with 39 others still held in captivity.
The police spokesman had confirmed the incident and said, “A combined team of police, army and other security forces are in a frantic search for the kidnapped students.
“We are combing the surrounding forests and bushes with a view to freeing the hostages. Very soon, it will be over for the bandits.”
The Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security, Samuel Aruwan, also confirmed that: “An operation for the students’ rescue is underway by security personnel from the army, air force, police and DSS (secret police).”
President Muhammadu Buhari also vowed an early end to the hostage crisis.
