- A viral video has challenged the Nigerian government’s claim that the newly released Kebbi schoolgirls were rescued without ransom or negotiation.
- While Governor Nasir Idris and Defence officials insisted the release was achieved through security operations, the footage shows the bandits boasting that the authorities were forced to agree to a “peace deal” after failing to rescue the students by force.
- In the clip, the abductors mock the military’s aerial power and declare the government’s failure, contradicting the official narrative just as the students prepare to reunite with their parents.
A video released immediately after the students of Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, were freed has cast a dark shadow over the official claim that the Nigerian government secured the release without paying a ransom or engaging in dialogue.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the kidnapped students were released, with the government asserting that no payment was made prior to their freedom.
However, a clip has surfaced online suggesting the authorities did negotiate with the abductors before the schoolgirls were set free.
In the footage, one of the armed men is heard questioning the students about military aircraft that flew over the forest during their captivity. He asks how many jets passed above them, and the girls respond, “uncountable.”
The kidnapper then boasts that the government was incapable of rescuing the students by force and had to resort to negotiation. The abductors also asked the girls about their treatment in custody.
“Did we leave you hungry?” one bandit asked. “No,” the girls replied.
“Were you assaulted in any way?” he asked again. “No,” they answered.
Another kidnapper told them, “We will take you back home safe to your parents, we are doing this based on peace deals.” He also mocked the government again, asking, “How many helicopters did you see hover around?” The students replied that they could not count them.
At the conclusion of the video, one of the abductors declared, “We are letting you go after negotiations. Your government cannot rescue you with might. Your government has failed.”
This footage appeared shortly after Kebbi State governor, Nasir Idris, and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, publicly announced that all abducted students had been freed.
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