A female student was killed as troops of Nigerian Army rescued five abducted students alongside two teachers of Federal Government College (FGC) in Kebbi, military high command in Abuja have said.

The operation was executed during the wee hours of Friday by troops of “Operation Hadarin Daji” after a gun duel with bandits, according to army spokesman Onyema Nwachukwu.

Armed bandits had on Thursday invaded 

FGC Birnin Yauri, and abducted an unspecified number of students and staffers in the school.

The marauding gunmen attacked the school Thursday and whisked away with an unspecified number of pupils and staffers after the brigands overpowered the security operatives guarding the school premises.

In a statement sent to Peoples Gazette by Mr Nwachukwu on Friday, the army disclosed that five students and two teachers were rescued between Riyao and Sombo community.

Mr Onyema, a brigadier-general, also disclosed that 800 rustled cows were recovered from the bandits during a joint operation with the Nigerian Air Force.

“Nigerian Army troops operating under the auspices of Operation Hadarin Daji  who have been on a hot pursuit of kidnappers and bandits following an unfortunate abduction incident in Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri yesterday 17 June 2021 have so far,  rescued two teachers and  five students after a fierce exchange of fire with the criminals.”

“The rescue followed an initial encounter with the abductors in the early hours of today 18 June 2021 after trailing the kidnappers from Yauri through Riyao to Sombo community, where the kidnappers who had split into two groups fled, with one group conveying the abducted children, while the second group conveyed rustled cattle.” the army said.

The statement revealed that the victims were rescued after a fierce gun battle with the bandits around 2:30 a.m. with their abductors.

“The gallant troops are still on the heels of the kidnappers in order to rescue the remaining abductees still in captivity. 

Sadly, a  casualty was recorded during the exchange. A female student was found to have given up the ghost as a result of exhaustion. The rescued teachers and students will be handed over to the Kebbi State Government,” the army disclosed.

However, the police Thursday shortly after the attack had issued a statement that a joint team comprising operatives from the Police Mobile Force, Anti-kidnapping and Counter-terrorism units are currently combing nearby forests, routes and suspected hideouts of the criminals.