Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has said bandits have released 17 students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, who were kidnapped on Monday evening.
Speaking in an interview with Deutse Welle Hausa Service in Katsina on Monday, the governor said he had just be informed that 15 students were found in Danmusa Local Government Area while security operatives said they found one of the students in the forest.
Masari also said that one of the parents of the kidnapped students had confirmed that his son had returned home.
According to him, since the incident occurred, soldiers and other security operatives are in the forest trying to ensure that the other students are rescued.
“Our major concern is to see that they are free and unhurt. We are still pleading for the understanding from the parents of the kidnapped students and Nigerians that we are not resting on our oars,” he said.
On the claim that the government had started negotiating with the bandits, Masari said that so far, they have no direct link with the bandits except the conversation the bandits had with one of the parents.
“We were told that the bandits asked for ransom but they did not state how much. They also warned that security officials should stop hovering around with their aircraft,” he said.
The Katsina governor also said that from intelligence reports, the bandits are now in Zamfara forest with the kidnapped students.