Several Nigerians since Thursday when the release of the over 300 students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, kidnapped by bandits was announced took to diverse social media platforms expressing doubts over the authenticity of the kidnapping adventure. Some expressed suspicion of simulation of the kidnap of the students by state government. several other suspected it was a scam, while some perceived the entire process as an alleged plot to push funds to the bandits in the northwest.
Good population of the skeptics attempted to draw a link between Boko Haram, bandits and Fulani herdsmen in juxtaposition with the roles claimed to have been played by the three armed groups in the kidnapping and release of the students without military force and within a very short period.
The students were kidnapped from their school last Friday. Within 72 hours, Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State notified President Muhammadu Buhari who is on one week private visit to Daura, Katsina State, that the kidnappers had got in touch with the state government and negotiations were in progress. On Thursday, the Katsina State government announced the release of the students.
Two officials of the Katsina State Government had on Thursday disclosed the safe release of all the kidnapped students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, six days after bandits invaded the school and took the boys away from their dormitories.
Boko Haram had claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of the students. The group also released a video of the kidnapped students which it said were over 560. However, the state government had put the figure of kidnapped students at 333 while the Presidency said only ten were kidnapped, but on regaining freedom, the students released were said to be 340.
Meanwhile, President Buhari met with the students on Friday.
Some Nigerians have commended the intervention of the Miyetti Allah in facilitating the freedom of the kidnapped students. They recommended that Miyetti Allah should then be adopted as security network of the states in the north to combat bandits, Boko Haram and others because of the effectiveness of members of the group in rescuing the Katsina students.
A few other Nigerians were perturbed over the circumstance of urgent freedom of the Katsina students to ask – where is Leah Sharibu”?