I told the bandits to release 344 schoolboys and they did – Gov Matawalle

The governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, has revealed how he facilitated the release of 344 schoolboys of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara without payment of ransom.

Speaking with Daily Nigerian, the governor said, “When we established contact with them, I persuaded them to release them unharmed.

And so they did tonight. This is not the first time we facilitated the release of our people without payment of ransom.

Ask anybody, we don’t pay bandits a dime. What we do is to extend olive branch to them because they also want to live in peace.”

Newsflash247 had earlier report that the All Progressives Congress (APC), had alleged that a governor from Northwest is sponsoring banditry, abductions and other violent crimes in the zone.

The party did not mention the name of the governor and the state, but said the unnamed governor’s behind the heightened cases of banditry, abductions and other violent crimes in that zone.

The ruling party urged security agencies to launch investigation into an intelligence report, which it claimed indicted the governor.

APC acting Deputy National Publicity Secretary Yekini Nabena made the allegation in a statement on Thursday.

There are seven states in the Northwest and five of them are under the APC control. They are: Kaduna (Nasir El-Rufai); Kano (Abdullahi Ganduje); Katsina (Aminu Masari); Jigawa (Badaru Abubakar) and Kebbi (Atiku Bagudu).

The two PDP governors are Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Bello Matawalle (Zamfara).

According to the party, the increased spate of banditry in the Northwest was politically-motivated and not unconnected to the unnamed governor’s alleged sponsorship of banditry and other violent crimes in the zone.

The party’s spokesman said in a statement: “Our security agencies have intelligence reports linking one of the Northwest governors to collusion and sponsorship of violent and criminal activities of bandits. I won’t give details because of the sensitive and security nature of the issue.

“However, relevant security agencies must as a matter of urgency, investigate the report and determine its veracity. Human life is not what we should play political chess games with.

“We must shun enemies of the country including the PDP who seek political gains from issues of insecurity.

“Our security agencies must also be alert to plots to further destabilise the Northwest region and frustrate the quick and safe release of students abducted from the GSSS,” Nabena said.

Kidnapping for ransom and banditry have become a pain in neck of leaders in the Northwest.

Sultan of Sokoto Sa’ad Abubakar (III) decried the spate and concluded that nowhere was safe in the country.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Tukur Buratai also said that fleeing Boko Haram insurgents from the Northeast have become bandits in the Northwest.

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