Why bandit kingpin released four abducted FGC Yauri pupils

Notorious banditry kingpin, Dogo Gide, has released four of the remaining 11 female pupils of Federal Government College Yauri after a six-day negotiation with their parents.

The four pupils released are Bilha Musa, Faiza Ahmed, Rahma Abdullahi and Hafsa Murtala.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered from one of the parents and the chairman of the parents association that Mr Gide released the four students on Friday around 8:37 p.m. after collecting N80 million naira.

The four pupils were taken out of Mr Gide’s camp by three motorcycles and taken to a community around Koko Local Government in Kebbi State after which another set of waiting party took over the students to Birnin Kebbi, the state capital.

Mr Gide had in June, 2021 invaded FGC Yauri in Kebbi State and abducted over 100 students and teachers. While some of the students escaped and returned, most of them were released after ransoms were allegedly paid. Some others were believed to have been released in exchange of some of Mr Gide’s fighters who were arrested by the authorities.

However, the terrorists held the 11 female students.

A parent, Sani Muhammad, told PREMIUM TIMES over the phone that the students were released after payment of 80 million naira.

He said Mr Gide himself selected the four students to be released.

“For now, he has released four. He promised to release all the eleven students the last time we spoke with him over the phone. He said if the money is given to him, he’ll release all of them. My daughter has not been released but we’re hoping that they’ll be released soon,” he said.

The retired civil servant said it took them six days of begging and negotiating with the terorrists before he agreed to listen to them.

“You know he insisted on one hundred million naira, but one day he called and while we were talking I told him the situation was hard and he said he would reduce twenty million, so continued gathering the money until we realized the eighty million naira,” he said.

The negotiations, PREMIUM TIMES gathered, are being led by one Abubakar, who is both trusted by Mr Gide and the parents.

Mr Muhammad said the terrorists changed about three negotiators because of mistrust, “but he trusts Abubakar and we don’t have an option than to trust him too.”

Salim Kaoje, the chairman of the parents’ group confirmed that the “negotiator” and two other parents are still in the forest pleading with Mr Gide to release the remaining students.

“Yes, it’s true we have reached an agreement with him (Mr Gide) to release the children and he has released four. This is purely our efforts. It has nothing to do with government. We sold off our properties and and got assistance from Nigerians to get the money,” he said.

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Mr Kaoje, whose younger sister, Farida Kaoje, was not among those released, said they would continue to press Mr Gide until the remaining girls are all released.

He said some of the parents and the negotiator spent days in the forest talking with Mr Gide before he eventually agreed but instead of releasing the 11 students, he released four.

“That’s why two stayed behind to continue talking to him while we took the four home,” he said.