AFRIQUECAN: KADUNA State Governor, Uba Sani says the total number of school children kidnapped four weeks ago was 137 and not 287 as claimed in some reports.
The schoolchildren were abducted from Kuriga in the Chikun Local Government Area of the state on March 7, 2024.
Governor Sani said on Channels Television on Sunday that the abductees have been rescued by the military in collaboration with local authorities from neighbouring Zamfara State, where the hostages were moved by their kidnappers.
Uba said the number released by the military is the authentic figure, describing “287”, as a figment of some people’s imagination.
“I don’t want to join issues with anyone in terms of numbers. What is more important to me is the safe return of the children. Today, I am happy that they are back safely, in high spirits, but those numbers were just figments of some people’s imagination,” the governor stated.
“Today, I met with the families of the children and they confirmed to me that the numbers given by the military are the correct numbers,” he added, describing the “287” as works of propagandists.
The Governor however, regretted that a teacher who was kidnapped alongside the pupils couldn’t make it out alive as he developed some health complications while in captivity.
“It’s only one person that has not returned and that is the teacher. That is the fact of the matter, but all of the 137 children are safely back. We had the unfortunate incident that the teacher couldn’t make it because he had some complications; he was sick — that was the report we got from the military and the security agencies but the rest of the children, all of them are back with us,” he said.