Kaduna Schoolchildren: It Is Not Important If Ransom Was Paid Or Not — Governor Sani

The Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, on Sunday, stated that the reports that ransom was paid to free the abducted Kuriga students are irrelevant.

Governor Sani in an interview on Channels TV said what is important was the fact that the government had been able to rescue all of them unhurt.

The schoolchildren were abducted from LEA Primary School and Government Secondary School, Kuriga, about four weeks ago but the Defence Headquarters, on Saturday, said they had been rescued.

There were rumours that the government paid ransom to the kidnappers for the release of the schoolchildren.

He said, “What is more important today is that our children are back home. Most of those permutations are not necessary. If your child is kidnapped, will you be sitting down and talking about how he was released?

“For me, what is more important is that those children are back home. Their parents are extremely happy and what is important to them is to reunite with their children.

“But some people who have no business with the situation are the ones coming out with some irresponsible permutations about whether ransom is being paid, whether someone had gone into the kinetic or non-kinetic approach. What is important to us in Kaduna is that the children are back home.”

The governor explained that the government handled the Kuriga schoolchildren abduction very discreetly, adding, “We tried as much as possible not to jeopardise the lives of the innocent children. Some people at some point wanted to politicize the whole incident.”