Kagara School: FG, Niger Government In Talk With Kidnappers

KAGARA SCHOOL: FG, NIGER GOVERNMENT IN TALKS WITH KIDNAPPERS.

The federal and Niger State governments are using a third party to reach out to the bandits who abducted schoolboys and their teachers at the Government Science College Kagara, Daily Trust authoritatively gathered.

The armed men raided the school in the early hours of Wednesday and left with some students, staff and their families.

Governor Sani Bello who addressed the press on Wednesday said 27 students, three staff and 12 members of their families were abducted. The school has a population of over 1,000 students.

One of the students, Benjamin Doma, was gunned down while trying to escape. The abductors reportedly left him behind in the pool of his blood as they shepherded the abducted students and teachers to the bush.

The Kagara abduction was carried out less than three months after the kidnapping of over 300 students at Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in nearby Katsina State.

The students were released few days after amidst allegations that a huge ransom was paid, a claim denied by the federal and Katsina State governments.

Sources familiar with efforts to rescue the kidnapped Kagara victims, who craved for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, confided in our reporter that a decision was reached to use back door channels to secure the release of the abductees.

One of the sources said officials have reached out to some Fulani leaders and repentant bandits who have contacts with the bandits in order to negotiate the release of the victims.

It was learnt that two prominent repentant Fulani bandits from Katsina and Zamfara States have been drafted to reach out to the kidnappers.

“Already some breakthroughs are being made. We were able to establish that the abductors were Fulani boys from one of the camps in Kaduna forests, bordering Niger to the south and Zamfara to the north. We have made contacts already,” one of the sources said.

“But the major snag now is getting them to agree easily because in Kaduna there is no trust between the bandits and the government. But persons with the reach are working on creating an avenue to sit with leaders of the abductors, the elders who can force them into acceding to the request,” he said.

A senior security official said air patrol has been intensified along the borders between Kaduna and Niger State.

“There is vast forest traversing Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger States, which makes movement along the corridor very easy for the bandits operating in those states,” he said.

The Principal of the school, Dan Asabe Ebaidu, said on Wednesday that the number of bandits that stormed the school could not be ascertained.

He said that they were dressed in army uniforms and rounded up the students in the hostel.

Ebaidu said he had never witnessed something like this throughout his years as principal.

He said that he managed to escape when the kidnappers stormed the staff quarters, which was why they abducted some members of staff and their families.

He said after raiding the staff quarters, the abductors headed to the students’ hostels.

Ebaidu noted that they were able to gain access into the school easily because it was porous.

Speaking with Daily Trust, another witness said the gunmen gathered some staff and students at a place for hours before moving them out of the school premises.

Some students were said to have escaped while being led to an unknown destination.

One of the abducted staff, simply identified as Batagi, was said to have escaped from his captors.

Some of those still in captivity were identified as Lawal, Ali, Hannatu and her husband, Dodo, and Mohammed Abubakar (Akawu).

Kagara is the headquarters of Rafi Local Government Area in Southern Senatorial district of Niger State. It is about 3 hours’ drive (114.1 km) via Minna – Zungeru Rd and Minna-Maikunlele road.

Sources said the bandits that stormed the Kagara school were those terrorising the Birnin Gwari area of the state.

Niger has been in the news of recent over incessant attacks occasioned by kidnapping and killing. Minna, the state capital is 2 hr 48 min (151.6 km) to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).