279 School Girls Released With Help Of Repentant Bandits -Matawalle

Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State says repentant bandits in the state assisted security agencies in the operation that led to the rescue of Jangebe school girls.
The governor, who received the girls at about 5a.m yesterday in Gusau, said the 279 girls were returned safely without paying any ransom.
“This is the result of our peace effort and putting to shame all those saying there is no security in this country.
“We have been in discussion since Friday with the abductors and reached agreement on Monday by 4pm that the girls were released.
“We are happy that all 279 have safely returned, they will undergo medical checks and given balanced diets to recupperate by the state government before they are handed back to their respective families.
“I want to appeal to parents not to remove their children from school as a result of this, we will ensure additional security in all the schools.
“We thank all media outlets for their support throughout these trying times,” the governor said.
Matawalle congratulated parents of the victims and Nigerians for the safe return of the girls.
It would be recalled that gunmen abducted the girls from their dormitories in Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, on Friday.
One of the victims, Hafsatu Anka, an SS II student who spoke in tears, said they were laid in trenches littered with human feaces.
“We saw other people including women and children and father of one of our school mates who had been in the den for three months.
“They walked us on foot where some of us got dislocated on their foot, they would pray as Muslims but never allowed us to pray and they fed us with rice in which they put sand after cooking,” Hafsat narrated.
Meanwhile, the Wife of the Zamfara Governor, Hajiya Aisha Matawalle, yesterday welcomed the release of the abducted students of the Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) Jangebe.
Matawalle in a statement issued in Gusau by her Press Secretary, Zainab Abdullahi, said she was overjoyed by their release.
She commended her husband for his efforts which led to the release of the abducted schoolgirls.
The wife of the governor urged the girls, parents and entire people of the state to consider the incident as an act of God.
“My word to the victims is that you should not discouraged over this sad incident. You must aspire to further your education. We are proud of you,” she said.
She appealed to the people of the state to continue to offer prayers for the sustenance of peace and stability in the state.