Kaduna Govt Denies Hiring Private Negotiator to Facilitate Release of 287 Pupils

The Kaduna State Government has refuted a media report that it hired a private negotiator to secure the release of 287 primary school pupils abducted by bandits in the Kuriga community of Chikun Council Local Government Area of the state.
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, Muhammad Lawal Shehu, made this known in a statement today.

It was earlier reported that the state government had begun negotiations for the release of the pupils and their teachers kidnapped on Thursday morning.

A source in the Kaduna Government House told The Punch that the state government had reached out to the bandits through a private negotiator for the release of the pupils and their teachers.
However, according to the statement released by the governor’s spokesman, the state government has neither hired a negotiator nor contemplated making such a move.
Shehu said the media report was capable of jeopardizing efforts made by the state and security operatives to ensure the safe return of the kidnapped children.
He described the story as mischievous and urged media organizations to always validate information from the state government before publication.