People often say that thunder does not strike twice in one place, but in the family of Ibrahim Shamaki in Kaduna State, it is double tragedy. Ibrahim Shamaki, father of one of the 39 abducted college students in Kaduna State, is dead.
Ibrahim was the father of Fatima Shamaki, one of the girls with hijab seen in the video that was released by bandits who invaded the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation in the Afaka area of the state.
According to family sources, the late Shamaki died of heart attack after he fell ill shortly after the news of his daughter’s abduction was broken to him.
He was said to have later died on Friday evening while his relatives were about to take him to a hospital for further medical treatment.
The news of Ibrahim’s death broke hours after the state government met with representatives of the grieving parents of the missing students at the Government House in the state capital.
This comes as Fatima Shamaki and the other abducted students prepare to spend their 15th night in the captivity of the bandits.
On March 12, Channels Television reported that a group of armed men attacked the school – coming after the attacks by bandits on schools in Katsina, Niger, and Zamfara States.
But the military said it promptly responded to the attack as troops of Quick Response Force of 1 Division of the Nigerian Army mobilised to prevent the bandits from kidnapping the staff and students of the school.
As soon as the security operatives arrived in the school, they were said to have engaged the assailants in a gunfight.
This according to the military, led to the rescue of 180 people, comprising 132 male students, 40 female students, and eight civilian staff.
The rescued students and staff were later evacuated to a safe place while those who were injured were taken to a military facility for medical attention.
Despite the swift response of the soldiers, the bandits kidnapped 39 people, including 23 female and 16 male students.
A day after the incident, the bandits released a video in which the abducted students were seen being beaten as they pleaded with the government to rescue them.
While the parents of the missing students called for their release, the state government has ruled out the option of negotiating with bandits.
