Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, has denied paying a dime to the bandits that released the 344 schoolboys abducted from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina state.
According to the Governor, the boys were released after their abductors were persuaded to free them unharmed.
Speaking with Daily Nigerian, Matawalle said; “When we established contact with them, I persuaded them to release them unharmed. And so they did tonight. This is not the first time we facilitated the release of our people without payment of ransom.
Ask anybody, we don’t pay bandits a dime. What we do is to extend olive branch to them because they also want to live in peace.”
Meanwhile, on Thursday night, Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina state confirmed the release of the abducted students.
He said the release of the boys was facilitated by the leadership of MACBAN/Miyetti Allah.
The boys were transported to Abuja on Friday, where they met with President Muhammadu Buhari.