Kagara: Gumi meets bandits, brings bad news on abducted students
- The location of GSC Kagara students might still be a mystery to security agents
- A brave Islamic scholar who has been negotiating with bandits said the criminals claimed ignorance of the captives' whereabouts
- However, Gumi said he got assurance from one of the gang leaders that the moves will be made towards the safe release of the students
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Sheikh Abubakar Ahmad Gumi has spoken on the details of his recent meeting with bandits on the need for them to drop their arms and surrender to the Niger state government.
In his conversation with journalists, Gumi said the bandits he met said they do not know the whereabouts of the abducted students, The Cable reports.
He, however, explained that according to the commander of the bandits, those who kidnapped the students belong to another gang entirely and investigation will be made to secure their release.
Source: Facebook
His words:
“I am not part of any negotiations. We just met some of these militants trying to dissuade them from their militancy.
“We asked them about what happened and they said they know the group that abducted the bus and they said they will intercede and see that they are released.
“But for the children, they said they didn’t know who did it because it was too early for them to know. Those groups we met may be having problems with a splinter group.”
Meanwhile, Gumi had said that the kidnapped children might be released on soon.
Legit.ng gathered that the incident had created nationwide agitation and worries over the safety of the kidnapped pupils and school staff members who were whisked away into the bush by the bandits.
Speaking on Saturday, February 20, Gumi said there was a possibility that the abductees might regain freedom on Sunday, February 21, given ongoing talks between the government and the bandits.
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Gumi, who recently held a parley with some bandits in Zamfara state forests and consequently called for amnesty for them, noted that the negotiation for the release of the schoolchildren and members of staff was slowed down due to logistics.
He added that the negotiation does not involve payment of ransom.
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Onyirioha Nnamdi is a graduate of Literature and English Language at the University of Lagos. He is a Politics/Current Affairs Editor who writes on news and political topics for Legit.ng. He brings into his reporting a wealth of experience in creative and analytical writing. Nnamdi has a major interest in local and global politics.
Source: Legit.ng
