Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, has withdrawn his children from a public school in Kaduna after getting wind of a plot to kidnap his son.
The governor had in September 2019, enrolled his six-year-old son, Abubakar-Sadiq into Kaduna Capital School, a public school located in the capital, in apparent demonstration of leadership by example.
But in an interview with the BBC on Friday, el-Rufai said that security reports available to him revealed that bandits were planning to abduct his son from the school, a situation he also feared will put other children in grave danger.
The governor also said he had enrolled Sadiq’s younger sister, Nasrine, in the same school after turning six years, before the security development, thereby forcing the family to temporarily withdraw both of them from the public school.
“My son is registered in the school because his sister also became six years of age and we registered her in the school but we’ve had to temporarily withdraw them for the security of the school because we got intercept from at least two groups that are planning to attack the school to kidnap my son,” he said.
“I don’t think they will succeed because there will be enough security there to prevent it but other children may be placed in danger. We have no idea what weapons they will come with.”
He, however, said that his two children are currently homeschooling, and are only going to Capital School to write exams, with the hope of returning to Kaduna Capital School when the security situation improves.
The governor further explained that his family took the decision to withdraw his son and daughter based on the advice of security agents, and in order not to put the school at risk of being attacked by bandits.
As Kaduna State and other parts of the North-western region continue to experience the scourge of banditry, el-Rufai has been one of those few governors that have repeatedly kicked against the payment of ransom to kidnappers.
He also reiterated his administration’s stance, explaining that three groups had vowed to abduct his children to see if he would make a U-turn on the payment of ransom.
“We have a feeling that the renewed attacks in Kaduna are not unconnected to the position that we have taken as a government that we will not negotiate with criminals,” said the governor while featuring on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
He added: “We will not give them any money and they will not make any profit from Kaduna; anyone that comes to Kaduna will not get a penny from the state government, except he will get a bullet instead.”
