By Yusuf Ladan
The Kebbi State Government has clarified the number of abducted schoolgirls still in captivity, appealing to the media not to mislead the public on the matter.
The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Professor Halima Bande, made the clarification while speaking to Channels Television in Zuru on Tuesday.
Professor Bande explained that bandits abducted 26 girls during the invasion, and although two managed to escape, 24 schoolgirls remain in captivity.
She identified the students who escaped as Salma and Hauwa’u Liman, confirming that they are now back and safe.
“Only two have escaped so far,” she stressed.
“This is a tragedy that has put everyone around us in trauma. We don’t know where they sleep, the food they eat, or the environment they are in,” Bande said.
The Commissioner also urged the general public to avoid spreading misleading information about the abduction, noting that there has been a lot of unauthentic information circulating about the incident.
“Therefore, I implore journalists and media outlets to rely only on authentic information regarding the incident,” she maintained.