Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State, on Wednesday, said that the gunmen who attacked Government Science Secondary School in Kankara Local Government Area of the state and kidnapped schoolboys have been contacted.
He added that the government was negotiating the boys’ freedom through the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN).
Gunmen had on December 11 invaded the school, shooting into the air to scare away people in the area.
As of December 13, Masari said over 300 students were confirmed missing.
On Tuesday, Shekau, in a four-minute video, said Boko Haram, whose ideology is against western education, carried out the abduction of the Katsina schoolboys.
“What happened in Katsina was done to promote Islam and discourage un-Islamic practices as Western education is not the type of education permitted by Allah and his Holy Prophet,” Shekau had said in the video.
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today monitored by Freelanews, Governor Masari said his administration was discussing with the suspected abductors through the Miyetti Allah.
He said, “We are discussing through the leadership of MACBAN, Miyetti Allah with those suspected to have carried out the abduction. I had a meeting with the Commissioner of Police and heads of security agencies two or three hours ago.
“There are talks. It is not about who is in charge, but what is of paramount concern to me as the chief security officer of the state is that these students return home safely and this is what we are talking about.
“It is natural for patents to be angry, but Ias the state governor, I will answer for my deeds here and beyond. So, I am more concerned about the rescue of the children and the safety of people of the state.”
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
