Six out of the 137 Kuriga students who were rescued by troops from their abductors have been hospitalized.

In a statement issued on Monday, the General Officer of 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Mayirenso Saraso, stated that the hospitalized students will be handed over to the state government once they are deemed medically fit by the doctors.

Saraso revealed this information after delivering 131 Kuriga children to the Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, at the Government House.

The unfortunate incident occurred on March 7, 2024, when bandits invaded the LEA Primary School and Government Secondary School in Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area, Kaduna, and abducted the students.

Fortunately, the military successfully rescued the students in Zamfara State on Sunday morning.

It could be recalled that the bandits had demanded a ransom of N1 billion for their release and set a deadline of March 27.

Nevertheless, the federal government clarified that no ransom was given to secure the students’ freedom.

During a speech at the Kaduna Government House, General Saraso mentioned that a combination of kinetic and non-kinetic strategies were utilized to rescue the students, who were held captive for 16 days.

He also informed me that one of the abducted teachers, Mr Abubakar, passed away while in captivity.

The general further elaborated that 131 students were physically brought to the Government House on Monday, as six were receiving medical treatment at a military facility in the state.

“In all, there were 137 children and one staff member, making 138 persons altogether, that were abducted from the co-located schools on the ill-fated day. But unfortunately, the staff member, Mr Abubakar, is not here with us today because he died while in captivity,” he said.