Miyetti Allah denies taking part in negotiations for release of kidnapped Katsina students

Despite claims by the Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Masari that the release of the abducted students of the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara local government area of the state was made possible following negotiations by the Miyeti Allah, the group has come out to state that they were not part of the negotiations.

Following the abduction of the students on December 11, Masari had said that the state government contacted Miyetti Allah to enter into discussions with the bandits which culmiated in the release of the schoolboys on Thursday, December 17.

However, the National Secretary of Miyeti Allah, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, told The Sun on Saturday, December 19, stated categorically that the group had nothing to do with the negotiations as it did not know the bandits nor endorsed their activities.

In the statement, Ngelzarma said:

“We want to make it categorically clear that Miyeti Allah was not part of the negotiations to free the abducted Katsina students.

“Unless Governor Aminu Masari was discussing with the Katsina State branch of the association, but definitely not with the national leadership.

Read also: Miyetti Allah facilitated release of abducted Katsina students – Masari

“Even if he did, our national body would have been aware. He did not discuss with Miyeti and our members were not part of the negotiations,” Ngelzarma said.

Also collaborating Ngelzarma’s stance, the National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Abduallahi Bodejo, posited that nobody contacted them or discussed with them over the abduction of the students.

“We don’t know the bandits and we don’t want to know them and we don’t have anything to do with them. No member of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, even at local levels, knows the bandits.

“The Katsina State government did not engage any of our members in whatever negotiation it had with the bandits”, he stated.

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