Ahmed Idris 
At last, the remaining two girls abducted from the Federal Government College (FGC), Birnin Yauri have been released after 707 days in captivity. They were released in the early hours of yesterday. The two girls, Faida Sani Kaoje and Safiya Idris, were released after intensive negotiations by a special committee set up by their families and well-wishers, with the leadership of the bandits. Our correspondent learnt that a notorious bandit kingpin, Dogo Gide, had insisted that some conditions must be met by the Kebbi State Government, before the remaining girls could be released. It would be recalled that on April 22, 2023, four Yauri female students with two babies, after payments of huge ransom to Dogo Guide.
Weeks later, precisely on May 7, three other girls Elizabeth Ogechi Nwafor, Esther Sunday and Aliya Abubakar, were also freed by their captors. The release was affected after a huge ransom was generated by parents and other stakeholders when the Kebbi State Government was reluctant to meet the bandits’ demands. The parents had to beg Nigerians to come to their aid financially in order to rescue their children from their abductors. In a letter addressed to all Nigerians in January 2023, and copy to journalists, the group known as “Committee of Parents of 11 Abducted Students of FGC Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State, Nigeria,” passionately solicited financial assistance towards raising the sum of N100 million as ransom to be paid to the terrorists, in exchange for their wards.
The Chairman and Secretary of the ‘Committee of Parents, Salim Ka’oje and Mr. Daniel Al- kali, respectively confirming this to newsmen on phone yesterday said their female children (aged between 12-16 years) had been in the custody of their abductors for about 20 months now. “…And the abductors are demanding the sum of N100 million before they release the girls,” they added. Recall that the 11 students were kidnapped when bandits invaded their school on 17th June, 2021. In November last year, our correspondent learnt that some of the girls had become teenage mothers, while about four others were pregnant. They now thank all the parents and philanthropists who supported the release of the girls, praying that may Allah guide them and uplift them. Effort in getting the actual ransom paid by the parents and whether it was up to the N100 million demanded by the bandits proved abortive.
