Parents of Freed Afaka Students Say Kids Exhibiting Abnormal Behaviour
Parents of the 37 released students of Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Kaduna State, have demanded compensation from the Federal Government for the ordeal their children passed through in the den of kidnappers.
Although they did not state how much they needed from the government, they said the compensation would help them treat the abnormal psychological behavior being exhibited by the children.
The parents under the aegis of Forum of the Afaka Students’ Parents, however, threatened to sue the Ministry of Environment and the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), which supervises the college, if their request is not granted.
Thirty-nine students were abducted when bandits invaded their College close to Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) on the night of March 11, 2021.
Two of the students escaped while they were being whisked into the forest. Ten of them were released in two batches of five on April 5 and 7 while the remaining 27 regained freedom on May 5.
In a statement yesterday by the forum chairman, Abdullahi Usman, the parents alleged that the ministry and FRIN never carried out any medical check on the freed students.
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The statement partly reads: “The release of the 27 on 5th May, following unquantifiable efforts by their parents, who suffered excruciating hardships and trauma, resulting in the death of a parent, was greeted with global applause and cheers.
“The release of the students ignited hopes that they would immediately be made to go through the very necessary medical check-up to ensure their soundness of health, especially to heal them of all terror-inflicted trauma that could negatively affect their normal living.
“The parents of the students had expected the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) to immediately set a process in motion for such necessary checkup and compensation to assuage all negative effects of terror they and the children severely suffered.
“However, one month after their release, most of the students have been exhibiting some abnormal psychological behaviors due to lack of proper medical checkup and trauma counseling necessary for their rehabilitation.
“We, the parents, have received no inkling of hope from the Ministry or institute for any compensation over the psychological damage inflicted on the children during their 56 day encounter with kidnappers.
