'Di bandits sabi di bush within Kwara wey link to oda states' – freed Church worshippers share traumatic experience wit bandits

Di 38 members of di Christ Apostolic Church for Eruku, Kwara state north central wey gunmen kidnap don don dey Ilorin, di state capital afta dem regain dia freedom.

Dem regain freedom less dan one-week afta gunmen wey call themselves bandits attack dia church during one evening service on Tuesday, 18 November, kill two pipo and carry di rest wey include old pipo and small children away.

Kwara state govnor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq wey receive di freed victims for di govment house tok say dem go receive medical attention bifor dem reunite dem wit dia families.

One of di freed victims wey follow tori pipo tok, describe dia experience for di hands of di bandits as "unimaginable".

Bamidele Emmanuel wey remember di attack wey happun on Tuesday, 19 November tok say e happun "suddenly and e dey very terrifying".

E explain say afta di bandits pack dem from di church, most of dem old pipo, children and few young men, na inside bush dem carry dem go. E say di bandits don sabi di routes for di bush wella, and warn dem, make dem no try escape, as dem go catch dem.

"Di situation dey unimaginable, bicos wen we reach wia dem carry us go for inside bush, we know say na dominated area by di bandits, and dem get courage to tell us say dem be bandits. Dem also tell us say nobody fit escape wey dem no go know. From wetin we see, we no know say nobody go fit escape."

Dem don sabi all di route for di bushes within Kwara wey link to oda states, e add.

Na on Sunday, 23 November, Nigeria President Bola Tinubu and di state govnor bin announce di release of di 38 worshippers.

Di Nigerian leader for one statement on im official X account tok say, im trip to di G20 summit for South Africa to focus on di security situation for im kontri no dey in vain.

E say, "Thanks to di efforts of our security forces ova di last few days, all di 38 worshippers wey dem kidnap for Eruku, Kwara State don dey rescued".

Although, e no provide full detail on how di rescue operations bin take happun.

And kontri pipo dey question say di President statement no tok of any arrest, if govment pay ransom or bring anyone to book, as dem need to know.

Di govnor for im comment about how dem take rescue di abductees say na all thanks to di president wey personally lead di effort to free dem and bring dem back home.

"I dey excited to announce di freedom of 38 persons wey dem recently abduct inside one attack on Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Eruku, Ekiti LGA of Kwara State. Dis dey come afta many days of hard work by our security forces and government representatives," e tok.

Abdulrazaq add say di security agencies wey include di Department of State Services (DSS); di Nigerian Army; Nigeria Intelligence Agency; plus di Nigeria Police, bin deploy four new tactical teams come di Kwara State on di directive of di President, on di wake of di event.

Few days afta di kidnap, di bandits bin reach out to di church leaders to demand for N100 million naira on top each victims.

E no dey sure if di govment pay to secure dia release, although, payment of ransom dey banned for di kontri.

In di same vein, President Tinubu bin also happy as e announce say some of di students wey gunmen kidnap from one Catholic school for Niger state, St Mary's Primary and Secondary School for Papiri don dey "recovered"

Although, e no provide more informate on dis development, but earlier, one statement wey dey attributed to Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of di Niger state Christian Association of Nigeria, wey e issue on Sunday, 23 November, few days afta di kidnap, reveal say 50 children among di ova 300 children wey gunmen kidnap don "reunite wit dia parents."

"We don receive some good news as fifty pupils escape and don reunite wit dia parents," Daniel Atori, di media aide to CAN Chairman for Niger State, Most Rev Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, wey also be di Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese tok.

"Di pupils escape between Friday and Saturday and don reunite wit dia parents as dem no fit return to di school afta dem escaped. We dey sure of dis wen we decide to contact and visit some parents," di statement read.

Di statement also say 253 children including 12 members of staff still dey wit di abductors.

Wetin BBC see for ground on visit to Papiri show say di 50 children actually escape during di capture on Friday and return on dia own.

However, plenty confusion and uncertainty still dey for Papiri, di village for Niger state wia dem kidnap di children from.

Parents wey dia children dey miss tell BBC say dem feel abandoned. While dem expect say by now, authorities go don deploy security officers to di village for di wake of di attack on St Mary's School, dat neva happun.

Police for Niger State also dey question claims by di Christian Association of Nigeria on di escaped 50 students from St. Mary's School.

Dem claim say di association don go quiet since di release of di abduction statement, wey don make am hard for dem and di state govment to confam di story.

Authorities say dem ask CAN to provide details of how di students escape and how dem take reunite wit family, but dem neva receive any reply.

Di govnor of Niger state Mohammed Bago for one interview wit one local media, Channels TV tok say di numbers dey exaggerated and e blame di school for flouting order to remain closed considering threat to schools for di local government, but di school insist say dem no receive dat kain orders.

BBC report say no parent don reunite wit di escaped students in di last 24 hours and parents for Papiri wia di kidnap happun tok say di news of escape na fake.

Meanwhile, intensified efforts dey go on to free di remaining girls from St Mary's School and di more dan 20 schoolgirls jaguda pipo kidnap from one boarding school for neighbouring Kebbi state earlier.

Di gang bin attack di Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School for Maga, Kebbi State, at around 04:00 local time (0300 GMT) on Monday, 17 November, authorities tok.

Local sources tell BBC News Pidgin say di bandits kill one school teacher bifor dem carry di girls, and later kill one school security guard.

President Tinubu for one security meeting wit heads of di defence and intelligence agencies wey include di Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Inspector-General of Police, Director-General of di DSS, for di State House on Sunday say dem dey review di latest reports and dey take decisive actions to stabilise di affected areas and protect kontri pipo.