“They told us if we make noise, they would beat us” – Released Niger abducted pupil recounts ordeals

The abducted schoolchildren from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State have shared the harrowing experience on how their abductors forced them to sleep on a trampoline inside the bush and were warned not to make noise.

One of the schoolchildren rescued, Florence Michael, spoke on Monday shortly after the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, officially handed the children over to the Niger State Government.

According to her, the terrorists forced them to lie on a trampoline inside a thick bush near a river, warning them that any noise would attract beating and delay their return home.

“They told us if we make noise, they would beat us and we would not go back home,” she said.

“They gave us a trampoline to lie on and kept us in the bush near a river.”

She appealed to the government to intensify protection measures so that schoolchildren across the country can learn without fear.

Speaking during the handover, Ribadu disclosed that the joint rescue operation was coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Department of State Services (DSS), the Armed Forces, and other security agencies.

Ribadu was represented by Wing Commander Abdullahi Idi Hong said the federal government had already rolled out immediate short-term protection strategies for schools in high-risk areas, while also partnering state governments, traditional rulers, and religious leaders to develop community-driven, long-term security solutions.

According to him, insecurity will not be allowed to trample on the right of any Nigerian child to education.

Receiving the children at the Government House, Minna, Niger State Governor Umaru Bago described the rescue as a huge relief to both parents and the state.pi