Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State says 137 schoolchildren, and not 287 schoolchildren, were abducted on March 7, 2024, from Kuriga in the Chikun Local Government Area of the state.
The governor said all the schoolchildren abducted by the bandits have been rescued by the military in collaboration with local authorities from neighbouring Zamfara State, where the hostages were moved to by their kidnappers.
The schoolchildren were abducted from LEA Primary School and Government Secondary School, Kuriga, about four weeks ago.The Defence Headquarters, on Saturday, said a total of 137 students were rescued, contrary to reports that 287 children were abducted by bandits.The Governor also said that Kaduna-based Muslim cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, was not involved in the safe return of abducted Kuriga pupils, though the cleric had offered to negotiate with bandits for the release of the pupils.The governor, who stated this described as speculations, talks in some quarters that ransom was paid, stressing that Gumi was not involved in the rescue of the pupils. Sani, however, regretted that a teacher who was kidnapped alongside the pupils couldn’t make it out alive as he developed some health complications while in captivity. He commiserated with the family of the deceased teacher and consoled the families of the released schoolchildren.
