The family and friends of the Afaka, Kaduna students who were abducted by bandits on the 11th of March, 2021 have taken to the street of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, in a peaceful protest.
The protest, which is described as a means to marking the 50 days of the captivity of these students took place at the early hours of the day.
“We are here today, because we felt we have been abandoned to our fate. Our coming wouldn’t have been necessary if the government of Kaduna state, the provost of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, where this incident took place, and the director general, Forestry Research Institute – the ministry of environment; if they have taken proper steps to rescue the students and children of Federal College of Forestry Mechanization at Afaka, on time,” one of the protesters addressed the press.
Mr. Friday Sanni, who has 2 daughters in this captivity explained how the parents have been coping. He also announced the demise of a parent, caused by the sad event.
“Within this period, a lot took place. Some parents go through a lot just as our children in the bush are going through till now. Though our children are in the bush under the captive of the bandits, we too are under emotional captivity. Mentally, we are under captivity,” he commenced.
“Somehow in this condition, we lost one parent who is supposed to be an inlaw to our current chairman. He has since been buried and we say may his soul rest in perfect peace. His death is as a result of the trauma he go through when he heard that his daughter had been kidnapped. So also, a lot of parents had been in and out of hospital because of this situation. We need prayers and we’re praying that God will see us through,” he concluded.
With tears, other parents bitterly expressed grievances in their indigenous dialect, calling on the government to intervein in this situation.
The Vent Republic recalls the two batches release of 10 among the 39 students that was announced on the 5th and 8th of April, 2021, respectively; 29 of them are still in captivity.
