A top Niger State government official says while the government is optimistic the students, teachers and family members of the Government Science College, Kagara, will be released soon, after overtures by cleric, Sheik Gumi, they are not in receipt of any of the kidnapped persons.
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello and Sheik Gumi are said to have corroborated the position at a joint press briefing in Minna, the Niger State capital.
“As I speak with you, nothing has changed”, the official said, debunking earlier reports.
Photos released last night showed Gumi meeting with the bandits, who were heavily armed. Government officials were also at the meeting.
The head of the bandits’ group, one Dogo, is said to have told the negotiating team of Gumi and government officials that they had no information on the group that picked the kagara students, while admitting they knew those who picked 47 travellers.
“They also said something about having hundreds in captivity and will release them soon,” a knowledgeable source said.
There are suggestions that the Gumi/government negotiating team is cautious about letting out much so as not to jeopardize their work.
Gumi has been quoted as saying the bandits may release the students and others, soon.
In the last six days alone at least 60 others have been captured by bandits in the troubled state. They include 47 travellers on the Zungeru – Minna highway and others picked from Gurmana ward of Shiroro LGA.
