Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has refuted claims of employing a private negotiator to secure the release of hundreds of abducted students in the state earlier this week.
Muhammad Shehu, the governor’s spokesperson, dismissed the reports as “misleading and baseless.” He emphasized that the state government has neither engaged nor plans to engage any third-party negotiator.
“The Kaduna State Government maintains a steadfast policy of non-negotiation with terrorists, bandits, and other criminal elements,” Shehu declared, urging careful reporting to avoid undermining efforts against these perpetrators.
“We want to make it unequivocally clear that the Kaduna State Government has not enlisted the services of any private negotiator, nor is it considering such a course of action.”
This denial follows the abduction of 287 students on Thursday, during an assault on the Kuriga community along the Kaduna Birnin-Gwari Road. The attackers seized 100 pupils and their headteacher from LEA Primary School, Kuriga, in Chikun Local Government Area. Additionally, 187 students from a secondary school, relocated to the primary school premises due to security concerns in the area, were also abducted.
President Bola Tinubu condemned these abductions, labeling them as heinous crimes against vulnerable victims. In a statement released by his media aide, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu directed security and intelligence agencies to promptly rescue the abducted students and ensure justice is served against the culprits.
In a separate call to action, Senator Oluremi Tinubu advocated for the enactment of laws enforcing capital punishment for kidnappers. She denounced them as cowards for predominantly targeting women and children, stressing the urgency to end such atrocities.
“Enough is enough,” Senator Tinubu declared during a meeting with the National Women Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), “and I urge state governments and other authorities to impose capital punishment on identified kidnappers…Each one captured deserves capital punishment.”
ActionAid Nigeria also joined the chorus of voices demanding the swift rescue of the abducted victims. Andrew Mamedu, the Country Director, urged the Kaduna, Borno, and federal governments to prioritize the safe return of the victims, vehemently condemning these acts of terror against innocent civilians. He drew parallels with past atrocities such as the abductions of the Chibok and Dapchi girls, emphasizing the urgent need for action.
