Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has claimed the government planned to sacrifice the lives of a few students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Kaduna in exchange for killing all the bandits, Njenje Media News reports.
El-Rufai made the assertion on Thursday, May 6, 2021, in a webinar organized by the Africa Leadership Group tagged: ‘Developing a Viable Nation 2’ and hosted by Pastor of Trinity House Church Ituah Ighodalo.
According to him, the plan to bombard the bandits’ hideout, lose a few students, and kill all the bandits but added that the plan failed as the bandits slipped through the grip of the Nigerian Army.
While replying a question on why he refused to negotiate with the bandits, he said:
“Two days after the abduction of the Afaka young people, I was assured by the air force and the army that they knew where the kidnappers were with the students and they had encircled (them).
“We were going to attack them. We would lose a few students but we would kill all the bandits and we would recover some of the students. That was our plan. That was the plan of the air force and the army… But they slipped through the cordon of the army. That is why they were not attacked.
“We know it is risky, we know in the process we may lose some of the abductees but it is a price we have to pay. This is war, there will always be collateral damage in war and we will rather do that than pay money because paying money has not solved the problem anywhere in the world.”
The Kaduna State Chief Executive said he has lost weight as a result of the security challenge in Kaduna State as it gave him sleepless nights. He further added that insecurity in Kaduna wasn’t as bad as that of Niger, Katsina and Zamfara States.
