By ADELOWO OLADIPO, Minna

A parent, Alhaji Idris Umar who lost a male child in the captivity of the armed bandits said he received the news of the release of the 90 abducted victims, pupils of Salihu Tanko Islamiya school, Tegina in Rafi LGA, Niger State with mixed feelings on Thursday.

Umar said while he was happy to receive his 14-year old daughter, and a JSS 3 student at the school, Maryam Idris Umar on Friday at the Government House, Minna, that he was at the same time very sad on hearing that his son, Hayyatu Idris Umar had died in the custody of the kidnappers following poor health condition and lack of adequate care from their abductors in their camp.

The bereaved parent stated this in an interview with Tribune Online at the big Hall within the Government House in Minna while narrating his ordeals and the mother of the little boy when they were still both praying and expressed the hope that their abducted two children were still being held hostage alongside others since about 88 days to the time of the release of the surging victims, including their daughter, Maryam on Thursday somewhere at Birnin Gwari forest, a border town between Kaduna and Niger States.

According to him, “I received the news with sadness and happiness because one of my sons, Hayyatu Idris Umar is gone. I lost him to the bandits. His elder sister Maryam Idris Umar said he was very sick and he died in the process. His name is Hayyatu Umar Idris. But again, I am happy that after three months, our other children are back. So, I am happy and sad at the same time.”

Alhaji Idris Umar, however, noted that when the school children were in captivity, that there was a collective arrangement from the parents, the communities and outside the state to unite and pray together to get the abducted little children and a few adults released from the custody of the heartless bandits.

He added that they sought for assistance from all the corners of Niger State and from across the country as a whole, while the media did not relent in their efforts to disseminate the news of the abduction of the victims.

“So, some people helped us with prayers, some other people helped us with little tokens, while some market men and women also assisted us including other people you cannot think of assisted us financially and morally and they supported us to secure our little children after a long period,” he said.

Alhaji Idris Umar however debunked the assertion that the Niger State Government had assisted them financially to secure the release of their abducted children and wards, stressing that the state government however gave them a lot of advice on how to go about discussing and negotiating with the bandits.

Also, in an interview with the Head Teacher of the school, Mallam Alhassan Abubakar ( a.k.a. Yaro) said he agreed totally with the State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello about the actual numbers of the abducted school children by their abductors and the official record of the released abductees from the school premises.

He however stated that the governor might have forgotten to add that there were two Christians that were also abducted but were not amongst the students of the Islamiyya school, Tegina, thereby making the entire figures of the abductees to be about 93 in numbers.

“We’re together with them but we didn’t count them in the register of the Islamiya. But I feel excited, I feel so glad and I am now in my right mood now and I think you can see that my face has changed now more than the last time you visited us at our school premises at the school premises, said the Head Teacher, Salihu Tanko Islamiyya school,” he added. (Saturday Tribune)

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