'No ransom was paid,' Presidency says repentant bandits helped negotiate with kidnappers of Kankara boys

Gunmen invaded the Authorities Science Secondary Faculty, Kankara on December 11, 2020 and kidnapped hundreds of students.

Boko Haram chief, Abubakar Shekau, claimed duty for the assault and regardless of releasing a video with the scholars in captivity, the federal government dismissed his declare as mischievous, saying the group had no affect within the northwest area.

Boko Haram’s actions have been largely restricted to the northeast area over the previous 10 years, with felony actions within the northwest, the place Katsina is situated, attributed to standalone bandits and felony gangs.

344 college students, who had been moved to Zamfara, were eventually released on December 17 after negotiations with the federal government, one week after the preliminary assault.

Critics have probed for particulars of the negotiations, with many speculating that ransom was paid for the schoolboys who’ve been reunited with their households.

Nevertheless, President Muhammadu Buhari‘s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, mentioned throughout a Channels TV interview on Tuesday, December 22 that kidnappers weren’t paid by the federal government.

He mentioned the abductors had been contacted via bandits who’ve already been reformed by the Zamfara State authorities.

“The governor of Zamfara State, who had a coverage of engagement with the bandits resulting in the give up and renouncement of bandits, used repentant bandits to achieve entry to those who had been within the forest and so they had them launched,” he mentioned.

Shehu additionally dismissed allegations that the high-profile abduction was stage-managed by the federal government for political acquire.

He famous that solely a heartless individual might have subjected the scholars to the struggling they skilled in captivity.

Authorities’s ransom historical past with terrorists, bandits

The federal government routinely by no means discloses ransom funds to armed non-state actors who normally have a listing of calls for for kidnapped victims.

The kidnapping of the boys, and the most recent video, is a rehash of Boko Haram’s abduction of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State in 2014 throughout President Goodluck Jonathan‘s tenure.

103 of the ladies had been launched in two completely different batches in 2016 and 2017 after negotiations with the Buhari-led authorities who refused to offer particulars in regards to the deal.

It was later reported that the federal government paid the sum of €three million as ransom and launched 5 Boko Haram commanders again to the Islamic sect as a part of the deal.

112 of the 276 women initially kidnapped are but to return to their households six years later.

One other main Boko Haram faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), additionally kidnapped 112 schoolgirls and one boy in Dapchi, Yobe State in 2018.

107 of the hostages had been returned by the terrorists a month later, after negotiations with the federal government, whereas 5 of the ladies died in Boko Haram custody.

Leah Sharibu, one other one of many kidnapped women, was not launched as a result of she refused to surrender her Christian religion, and stays with the terrorists over two years later.