Five more students out of the 39 abducted students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka in Kaduna State have been released from captivity.

Their release comes barely 72 hours after the first set of five students were freed by the bandits who abducted them from their school in the Igabi Local Government Area of the state on March 11.

The Kaduna State government and police authorities have yet to confirm the release of the five students.

But the Personal Assistant to the Provost of the College, Ahmed Rufai, told Channels Television that four males and a female student were released at about 6pm on Thursday.

He explained that three of the released male students were brothers from the same parents, but he did not say if any ransom was paid before the students regained freedom.

The latest release of the students brings the total number of those freed by the bandits to 10 so far, while 29 others are still in captivity.

A Silent Attack

The bandits stormed the school very early in the morning on March 11 with the intention to abduct many students in what can be described as a silent attack.

Their operation was, however, thwarted by soldiers who promptly responded to a distress call and engaged the bandits in a fierce gunfight.

This led to the rescue of 180 people, comprising 132 male students, 40 female students, and eight civilian staff.

Despite the intervention of the soldiers, the assailants abducted 23 female and 16 male students – a situation that has left their parents in despair with calls on the government to rescue them.

One of those missing was a female student, Fatima Shamaki, whose father died from a heart attack after the news of her abduction was broken to him.

Ibrahim Shamaki was said to have fallen ill and later died while his relatives were about to take him to a hospital for treatment.