July 3, 2021

Governor, Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has withdrawn his children from a public school in Kaduna after getting wind of a plot to kidnap his son.

In an interview with the BBC on Friday, El-Rufai noted that available security reports revealed that three bandits’ groups were planning to abduct his son from the school, a situation which he also notes will expose other children to grave danger.

The Governor also disclosed that 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 withdraw the two children from the public school temporarily.

“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 security 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.

He also reiterated his administration’s stance, explaining that three groups intercepted had vowed to abduct his children to see if he would make a U-turn on the payment of ransom.

The Kaduna Governor has insisted that the state government has no money to pay bandits amid the renewed attacks by armed groups in the state.

He stated that the recent bandits’ attacks on communities in the state were a result of the government’s decision that it would not negotiate with them.

The governor had in September 2019, enrolled his six-year-old son, Abubakar-Sadiq into Kaduna Capital School, a public school located in the Kaduna state capital, in order to show leadership to revamp public education in the state and make it more competitive.