Kankara abduction: Masari denies ransom as Boko Haram releases 344 schoolboys
- Details as to how the Kankara boys were released are finally out
- Governor Bello Masari told journalists on Thursday, December 17, that it took the joint efforts of soldiers, the police and the Miyetti Allah group
- Masari also denied claims that he paid a ransom to get the boys released
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Governor Bello Masari of Katsina has revealed that the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) was responsible for the release of the Kankara boys.
Governor Masari, however, denied claims that the state government paid a ransom in cash to secure the boys' freedom, Punch reports.
He insisted:
"We did not pay ransom to the kidnappers, it was purely negotiation.”
Source: Twitter
Speaking on how the abducted students were freed, the governor explained that the military, the police, his special senior adviser on security, Mallam Ibrahim Katsina, and the MACBAN were directly involved in the process.
He said:
“Those involved in the negotiation include my adviser, some top military and police operatives, members of Miyetti Allah; (they) where all involved in the negotiation.”
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) had alleged that a Nigerian governor from a northwest state was behind the attacks by bandits in the region.
The spokesperson for the party, Yekini Nabena, made the accusation in a statement on Thursday, December 17, in Abuja.
He claimed that intelligence reports had linked the governor to the heightened cases of banditry, kidnappings, and other violent crimes.
Nabena, however, stopped short of mentioning the name of the governor being accused of the violent acts. According to the APC chieftain, he decided not to mention the name of the governor due to security reasons.
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He said:
“I won’t give details because of the sensitive and security nature of the issue. However, relevant security agencies must as a matter of urgency investigate the report and determine its veracity. Human life is not what we should play political chess games with."
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Source: Legit.ng