The Federal government has announced that school fees have been waived for all the 37 kidnapped and released students of College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Kaduna throughout the period of their study in the institution.
The Federal Government also said it has concluded plans to temporarily relocate the College to a safer location within the Kaduna metropolis.
Provost of the College, Dr Usman Bello disclosed this on Monday while addressing a press conference at the College in Afaka, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Bandits had on 11th March 2021 stormed the College around 10 pm and whisked 37 students, mostly female students into the forest.
Read Also: 29 Abducted Afaka Students Released After 55 Days
While 10 of them were released in two batches of five each on 5th and 12th April, 2021 respectively, the remaining 27 students were released on 5th May, after spending 55 days in captivity.
According to the Prevost, ‘The Hon. Minister of Environment, Dr. Muhammad Mahmood Abubakar has concluded plans to temporarily relocate the College to a safer place; put in place adequate security as well as vehicles to serve as shuttle to convey staff and students alike from the temporary site to designated bus stops within the Kaduna metropolis. All these would be communicated to all as soon as the arrangement has been perfected.
‘Similarly, the Hon. Minister has directed that the school fees of the affected students be waived for the programmes they are currently running. Therefore, for those of them presently on ND programme, the HND fees would be waived accordingly’.
Recalling the kidnap incident, the Provost said, βIt is important to state at this juncture that the frantic efforts of all the stakeholders including the Hon. Minister and the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, the Board Chairman, DG-FRIN and the Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State Command, Alhaji Umar Musa Muri, led to the rescue of the first ten sets of the abducted students.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
