By Miracle Ogunde
Kaduna State government has begun negotiations for the release of the recently abducted 287 pupils and teachers in the state. Starnews NG has learnt.
The pupils were abducted from the Government Secondary School and LEA Primary School, Kuriga 1, in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
According to investigations carried out by Punch newspapers, a highly influential private negotiator who has been involved in negotiating several abductions with bandits in the past, has been contacted by the state government for the assignment.
A highly placed source in the Kaduna State Government House, who is close to the negotiations but pleaded anonymity due to security reasons, confided in newsmen said the state government had reached out to the bandits through a private negotiator (names withheld) for the release of the pupils and their teachers.
The source said, “The military has begun combing the forests in search of the children kidnapped by the bandits. Security agents have cordoned off the area and they have started searching for the abducted pupils.
“The government is doing all it can for the speedy release of the abducted school pupils.
“The government has established contact and reached out to the bandits for negotiation through a popular bandit negotiator. The negotiator was the one who worked for the return of some of the students abducted some years back.
“He (the negotiator) had negotiated the return of so many abductees in the past. He negotiated the return of those students abducted in Katsina State years back.”
Two other government officials also confirmed the development secretly to newsmen, but insisted on not being identified because of the sensitive nature of the issue.
They also refused to provide additional information as they insisted that doing so might frustrate the ongoing efforts to secure the victims’ release and put them in harm’s way.
Bandits, on Thursday, shortly after the assembly gathering at around 8.30am, stormed the LEA Primary School, Kuriga, abducted the pupils and some staff members of the schools
Starnews NG learnt that the secondary school was relocated to the primary school premises as a result of insecurity in the area.
Governor Uba Sani, who visited the school on Thursday, gave an assurance that the abducted pupils would be rescued unhurt.
Sani while addressing the community members said, “In my capacity as your elected governor, I am assuring you that by the grace of God, all the children will return unhurt.”
However, less than 48 hours after the abduction, which triggered national outrage, an official source said the government had reached out to the bandits for negotiations to release the 287 abducted pupils and the staff members of the school.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu, who said he had been briefed on both incidents, assured Nigerians of ongoing rescue efforts.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, the President said, “I have received a briefing from security chiefs on the two incidents, and I am confident that the victims will be rescued. Nothing else is acceptable to me and the waiting family members of these abducted citizens. Justice will be decisively administered.”
The statement added, “The President directs security and intelligence agencies to immediately rescue the victims and ensure that justice is served against the perpetrators of these abominable acts.
“The President sympathised with the families of the victims, assuring them that they would soon be reunited with their loved ones.”
Leave a Reply