Nigerian govt brands as ‘senseless’ claim that Katsina students’ abduction, release were stage-managed

The Federal Government on Saturday described as senseless, the claim in certain quarters that the abduction and subsequent release of over 300 students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, were stage-managed.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, reacted to the claim when he featured in a Nigeria Television Authority (NTA)’s Good Morning Nigeria programme.

Armed bandits had last Friday invaded the college and took away the students after a gun duel with the police.

The schoolboys were later released in Tsafe, Zamfara State, on Thursday.

They were transported back to Katsina on Friday, exactly seven days after their abduction by the hoodlums.

He said: “What precisely does the government want to achieve? Is it to prove the deficiency of the military or what?

“In the case of Dapchi, we had all kinds of bizarre theories.

“You have to be in government to know how many sleepless nights the president, ministers, and head of security outfits had until the matter was resolved.”

Mohammed said many people were disappointed that the Katsina students’ abduction was resolved so fast just like that of Dapchi.

The minister added: “Many naysayers would have loved the incident to linger and become the igniting rod for their attacks.

READ ALSO: Ezekwesili explains why Buhari should not be commended over release of Katsina students

“Otherwise, how do we describe the spurious organisation like the #BringBackOurBoys that emerged within a few days of the students’ abduction?

“Within a few days of the students’ abduction, the so-called organisation had moved to Katsina.

“When you have a situation like this, naysayers who are bent on bringing down the government will come up with all kinds of theories that do not make sense.

“Dapchi abduction was in 2018, how come two years down the lane, nobody has come out to tell us how it was stage-managed?”

He admonished politicians and other interest groups to stop politicising and commercialising issues of security and national tragedy.

“In times of crisis and tragedy, people normally come together to address the issue.

“It is not a time to politicise and even trade or commercialise the misery and tragedy of a nation.

“We can have our differences but when it comes to issues of security, we should come together and fight it,’’ Mohammed concluded.

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