The National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, received on Monday 22 abducted students and staff of Federal University, Gusau, in Zamfara, who were rescued on Sunday.
OsunDailyNG recalls that 22 people, comprising 15 students and seven workers of the university, were abducted from the institution in September 2023.
Ribadu said the rescue operation was coordinated by the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, NCTC, on Sunday.
Ribadu, who received the rescued victims on Monday in Abuja, urged them not to allow their experience to break them but rather to make them stronger.
He also thanked the parents of the rescued victims for their patience and understanding during the period and commended the security agencies for their tireless work and sacrifices.
“On behalf of the President, I thank all those involved in the successful rescue of the victims without losing any of them or paying any ransom.
“This is yet again a success story in our efforts to free all those being unlawfully held in captivity.
“We have so far released over a thousand such victims without noise and with complete respect to their privacy and safety.
“This occasion marks a final juncture in a series of rescues we have undertaken in the last few months to free victims of recent cases of mass abductions.
“Going forward, we are strengthening law enforcement and security measures to prevent these abductions and strengthen physical security across vulnerable communities,” he said.
Earlier, the National Coordinator, NCTC, Maj Gen Adamu Laka, recalled that those rescued were abducted from the school on September 22, 2023, at about 2:30 am when bandits armed with various weapons attacked three off-campus students’ hostels at Sabon Gida in Gusau.
