53 Abducted NSTA Passengers Released
One week after they were abducted, the passengers of the Niger State Transport Mass Transit (NSTA) have been freed.
Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello of Niger has received the 53 abducted passengers of the state-owned NSTA after intense negotiations with their captors, armed bandits.
Mr. Sani-Bello received the abducted passengers at the Government House, Minna, on Sunday at about 11:35 pm.
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Armed bandits abducted the NSTA passengers in Rijau on February 14.
The passengers were on their way to Minna but intercepted and kidnapped at Kundu Village on Minna-Tegina Road in the Rafi Local Government Area.
The governor revealed that the bandits released the passengers after intense negotiations with the government.
“We thank God for helping us to secure their release. We went through one week of consultations and sleepless nights to secure their release,” he said.
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He said before they would rejoin their families, the state government must ensure that they undergo a medical checkup.
The released passengers were 20 women, nine children, and 24 men.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the victims were “all looking tired and hungry, as some of them could barely walk.”
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The governor also assured that efforts are still ongoing to ensure the release of students and workers recently kidnapped from Government Science Collage Kagara, Rafi Local Government Area.
“All 53 Kidnapped NSTA Passengers regained their freedom, efforts ongoing to Rescue the Government Science Collage Kagara Students,” the governor said on his official Twitter handle.
