The Zamfara State Governor , Bello Matawalle , on Tuesday insisted that he would reveal the identities of people behind the abduction of over 300 students of Government Girls’ Secondary School, Jangebe in the Talata Mafara Local Government Area of the state.
The governor , who stated this in an interview with one of our correspondents in Gusau , the state capital, however said he would make the revelation after the abducted schoolgirls , who were released earlier on Tuesday, might have been reunited with their families.
But the pan-northern socio -political organisation, the Arewa Consultative Forum , berated the governor , saying he should stop embarrassing the north.
Recall that gunmen attacked the GGSS Jangebe on Friday and abducted over 300 students .
The governor , while receiving 17 Emirs in the state at the Government House, Gusau on Sunday, had said he had many revelations to make on the schoolgirls’ abduction .
He told the emirs , who paid him a sympathy visit over the girls’ abduction , that Nigerians would be shocked to know people behind the abduction of the students .
Matawalle had stated, “ I want to inform you that there are many revelations in relation to the abduction of these students . Many people will be surprised to hear those people behind the abduction
On Tuesday, when one of our correspondents asked him when he would name people behind the abduction , he stated, “ I want the children to eat, be treated and then taken back to their respective places before I make the revelations. ”
The governor , who spoke to The PUNCH after the students were brought to Government House , disclosed that no money was paid to bandits for the release of the girls.
Matawalle said , “ Nothing was given to them ( the bandits ) . ”
When asked if any ransom was paid, he replied , “ You can ask the repentant bandits who are right now here with us . They were the people who intervened and the children were released unconditionally . ”
The governor also defended his negotiation with bandits , saying it was only the solution to banditry in the country .
He stated , “ If we had abandoned it ( negotiation) because some people were condemning or castigating me , we wouldn’ t have achieved what was achieved today. ”
Advising other governors , Matawalle stated , “ I have already told them to adopt a peace process with the bandits because that is the only solution . Without the help of the repentant bandits who know others yet to repent, we would not have been able to secure the release of these students . ”
He also said he agreed with the position of the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd . ) , who on Sunday said the kidnapping of the schoolgirls in Jangebe would be the last in the country .
“ Why they ( the delegation sent to the state by the President ) said so is because those people behind the abduction of these students are known and they are going to be dealt with accordingly . ”
But the ACF urged security agencies to interrogate the Zamfara State governor over the identities of people behind the kidnapping of students of the GGSS, Jangebe .
The ACF, which made the call in a statement signed by its National Chairman , Chief Audu Ogbeh, described Matawalle ’ s statement as unguarded .
The forum said security operatives should treat the governor as an accomplice to the kidnappers , if he failed to tell Nigerians those behind the dastardly act.
According to the ACF, the north is embarrassed by the statement of the governor and insecurity ravaging the region .
It stated , “ The Arewa Consultative Forum ACF is stunned by a statement accredited to the Zamfara Governor , Bello Matawalle .
“ The governor is reported in the media to have told 17 Emirs who paid a sympathy visit to him on the kidnap of 317 school girls from Government Girls Secondary School Jangebe in Talata Mafara that he knew the identities of the kidnappers and if he revealed their identities , Nigerians would be shocked .
“ We ask the governor to reveal their identities and let Nigerians be shocked or even the heavens fall .
“ We also ask the security agencies to question the governor on the identities of the criminals he is trying to hide. If he refuses to disclose their identities , he must be treated as an accomplice to the criminal act of kidnapping.
“ The ACF has been embarrassed by the spate of kidnappings especially of schoolchildren spreading like wild fire all over the north.
“ People in positions of authority that will help us out of this mess like governor Mutawalle must stop embarrassing the north and country with careless statements on a serious issue like the kidnappings of school children.
“ Zamfara State and the north are way behind the rest of the country in educational development. The serial kidnappings of school pupils in the north will only worsen a bad and unacceptable state of education in the North . ”
Meanwhile, the ACF also called on the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria to halt forthwith, the blockade of foodstuffs to the Southern part of the country .
Ogbeh, a former Minister of Agriculture , said such dastardly act was only carried out during war and that Nigeria was not at war .
THE PUNCH
