President Muhammadu Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, has admitted that bandits, and not Boko Haram insurgents, kidnapped students from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State.
Shehu said that repentant bandits were employed to negotiate with those in the forest in securing the release of the 344 schoolboys.
Shehu stated this, yesterday, when he appeared on Channels Television breakfast programme, “Sunrise Daily”, insisting that no ransom was paid in the process of getting the boys out.
“The governor of Zamfara State, who had a policy of engagement with the bandits leading to the surrender and renouncement of bandits, used repentant bandits to gain access to those that were in the forest and they had them (schoolboys) released,” he said.
“All the leading actors in Zamfara and Katsina states said no ransom was paid,” he said.
He revealed while negotiations were ongoing with the abductors, the troops of the Nigerian Army encircled the Zamfara forest where the hostages were held.
It would be recalled that one of the 344 schoolboys that regained freedom, had said that their abductors were not members of Boko Haram.
The schoolboy added that they were told to say that the kidnappers were Boko Haram insurgents.
Asked if their abductors were bandits or Boko Haram, the student said, “I do not know who they are but I was told to say they’re Boko Haram from the camp of Abu Shekau.”
Asked about his experience, he added, “From what I experienced, sincerely, they are not Boko Haram.”