Six schoolchildren, their driver and two other victims abducted by suspected bandits along the Akwando-Kachia Road in Kaduna State have regained their freedom after spending 36 days in captivity.
The victims were kidnapped on April 26, 2026, when suspected bandits attacked a vehicle conveying schoolchildren from Akwando village to Kachia, the headquarters of Kachia Local Government Area. Nine passengers were taken away during the attack, while a young girl reportedly lost her life.
Confirming the development, the spokesman of the Kuturmi Unity Development Association (KUDA), Mr. Manasseh Samuel, said the victims returned home on Sunday after being released by their captors.
“The victims returned home on Sunday morning after trekking for about six hours through the bush,” Samuel said.
He expressed appreciation to individuals and groups who offered prayers and support that contributed to securing the victims’ freedom.
A former media aide to the late Kaduna State Governor, Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, Mr. Reuben Buhari, also confirmed the release in a Facebook post, stating that the victims regained their freedom on Sunday and arrived home the following morning.
Buhari wrote, “Thirty-six days after they were kidnapped while on their way to school in Kachia from Akwando village, six schoolchildren, the driver of the vehicle and two other adults regained their freedom yesterday and got home this morning after trekking for six hours in the bush.”
The release of the victims has brought relief to their families and residents of the affected communities, who had anxiously awaited their safe return.
