Sixty hours after the rescue of children abducted from Kuriga Primary and Junior Secondary School in Kaduna State, parents are yet to reunite with their children
Some of the parents who spoke yesterday expressed their eagerness to meet their children and welcome them back to the village.
With few exceptions, it has become a trend by authorities to delay releasing rescued children to their parents, a development that is agitating the minds of stakeholders.
It could be recalled that the children were abducted on March 7, 2024, after bandits invaded their school located in Kuriga village of Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The school children were reportedly rescued on Sunday, March 24, precisely after 16 days in captivity.
The military handed over the 131 rescued children to Kaduna State governor, Senator Uba Sani, on Monday and said six of the students who were hospitalised would be handed over to the state as soon as the doctors certified them fit.
Since the announcement of their return, parents of the freed school children have been eager to receive them back home in the village.
One of the fathers, Adamu Abdulrauf Kuriga, whose daughter, Hadiza, was among the abducted children, said he couldn’t wait to receive his daughter after almost two weeks without seeing her.
“We are still waiting to receive the children because we haven’t seen them since they were abducted. Even though we know they are with the government, we will want to have them back home with us. This is the joy of every parent to see his child,” he said.
He prayed that such an unfortunate incident never happens to any parent in the state and the country in general.
He commended the security agencies and the state government for their role towards rescuing the children but still hoped the children would be reunited with them soonest.
A mother, Khadiza, whose daughter, Safiya, was among the rescued students, also said she can’t wait to see her daughter in good spirits.
“We are happy the children were rescued and are with the government. But as a mother, I want to see my daughter because we can’t wait to see the children back home with us,” she said.
Another mother who identified herself as Binta, said her son, Suleiman, was among the rescued students but said she had not seen him yet.
She explained that she was very excited to see him and the other children back home.
“The government did well by rescuing the children but we want to see them because as parents, seeing the children will make us happy,” she said.
Jibril Gwadabe Kuriga, a community leader in the village, whose daughter, Aisha was among those rescued, said he was at the Government House on Sunday to receive the children but had to leave because the children were not brought to the venue that day.
He said like any parent whose daughter or son was abducted, he could not wait to see his daughter.
“We hope to see them because that was why I was at the Government House on Sunday to see the children but unfortunately, they were not brought there at the time. But we are still waiting to receive them,” he said.
It was gathered that all the rescued school children are under the care of the Kaduna State Ministry of Human and Social Services, and are being protected in a facility in the state manned by security agencies.
Aminu Kuriga, a resident, told Daily Trust that the community was calm knowing fully well that the children are in good hands of the state government.
“The community is now calm unlike the very first day the children were abducted. Now, most parents are fully aware of where the children are after their release from the forest. So, they are happy that they are in the hands of the state government,” he said.