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Kidnapped Schoolboys Released After Negotiations, No Ransom Paid – Masari

Published

5 years ago

December 18, 2020

Eric

The Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, has said that ransom was not paid before kidnappers freed hundreds of schoolboys kidnapped from Kankara part of the state.

He said the boys, kidnapped last week, were released after negotiations with the kidnappers whom he described as bandits. He did not, however, say what the bandits got in return for freeing the students.

In an interview with DWTV Hausa on Thursday night, Mr Masari said the boys were being conveyed to Katsina at the time of this report.

“One hour ago, Nigerian soldiers and government officials that were involved in the negotiation for the release of the kidnapped schoolboys have told us that the whole school children have been released, 344 of them,” Mr Masari said at about 10 p.m. Thursday night.

“At the moment, we have arranged for vehicles to transport them from where they are to the state capital, Katsina. From then, we will pass them through to doctors to diagnose them,” he said.

“Those involved in the negotiation include my adviser, some top military and police operatives. Members of Miyetti Allah; (they) were all involved in the negotiation.”

When asked if the government paid ransom before the release of the schoolboys, he said money was not paid.

“We did not pay ransom to the kidnappers, it was purely negotiation,” he said.

He also said the kidnappers were not Boko Haram despite claims to the contrary by the sect.

“They are bandits who kidnapped the schoolboys, not Boko Haram.

“What we will do next is to transport them to us in Katsina, ask our doctors to look at them and then give them new clothes to wear and reunite them with their parents,” he said.

The Secretary to the Katsina State Government, Mustapha Inuwa, had earlier on Thursday evening confirmed the release of the students.

On Tuesday, the terror group, Boko Haram, claimed responsibility for the abduction and subsequently released a video that showed some of the boys believed to have been abducted from the school pleading for their safe return home.

Mr Inuwa told reporters Thursday evening that the students were freed in Zamfara and were being transported from Tsafe town in Zamfara to the Katsina Government House on Thursday night.

Kidnapping for ransom has become rampant in Katsina, Zamfara and other Northwestern states, as well as other parts of Nigeria.

However, the kidnap of the over 300 students at a go is the largest such incident in Northwest Nigeria, reminiscent of the kidnap of hundreds of schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State, in 2014, by the terrorist Boko Haram sect.

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Mike Adenuga, Emmanuel Macron Hold High-Powered Meeting in Paris

Published

8 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Eric

Accomplished billionaire businessman and Commander of the French Légion d’Honneur, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr., GCON, CdrLH, has held a private meeting with the French President, Emmanuel Macron.

The two powerful citizens of the world held the meeting on Wednesday at the historic Élysée Palace in Paris.

The high-level engagement underscores the longstanding relationship between Dr. Adenuga and the French Republic, as well as his continued relevance in global business and diplomatic circles.

A respected industrialist and philanthropist, Adenuga has been widely acknowledged for his contributions to economic development, telecommunications, energy, and humanitarian causes across Africa and beyond.

The meeting adds to Dr. Adenuga’s growing profile as a bridge between African enterprise and international leadership.

Headline

Free at Last: Burkina Faso Releases 11 Nigerian Soldiers, Aircraft

Published

8 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Eric

Burkina Faso has released Nigerian soldiers who were detained after their aircraft made a forced landing in the Sahelian country earlier this month, Nigerian officials said.

The release followed a diplomatic intervention by President Bola Tinubu, who dispatched a high-level delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, to meet Burkina Faso’s Military Leader, Ibrahim Traoré, on Wednesday.

In a statement, Alkasim Abdulkadir, Tuggar’s spokesperson, said both sides resolved the matter amicably and secured the release of the Nigerian Air Force pilots and crew.

The soldiers had been held for nearly two weeks after the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) described the aircraft’s landing as an “unfriendly act” carried out in defiance of international law.

The Nigerian Air Force, however, said the crew encountered a technical issue that required a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, the nearest available airfield. It said the landing complied with standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols.

Headline

Corruption Allegations: NMDPRA Boss Farouk Ahmed Meets Tinubu, Resigns

Published

21 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Eric

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, has resigned following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu amid corruption allegations.

Tinubu, on Wednesday, summoned Ahmed to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, following allegations of economic sabotage and corruption.

Also caught in the web of resignation was the CEO of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe, according to a statement on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy.

Tinubu was said to have nominated successors to the senate for approval.

“Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve the nominations of two new chief executives for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC),” the statement reads.

“The requests followed the resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed of the NMDPRA and Gbenga Komolafe of the NUPRC.

“Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Buhari to lead the two regulatory agencies created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

“To fill these positions, President Tinubu has written to the Senate, requesting expedited confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA.”

Onanuga said the two nominees are seasoned professionals in the oil and gas industry.