I withdrew my children from public school because bandits were planning to kidnap them — Governor El-Rufai

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State on Saturday said some bandits terrorizing the state are currently targeting his seven-year-old son, Abubakar Al-Sadiq El-Rufai. 

In an interview with BBC Pidgin, Governor El-Rufai said he secretly withdrew his children from Kaduna Capital school following intelligence that the bandits were planning to attack the school to kidnap his son.

Reports on Friday indicated that the governor secretly withdrew the boy from one of northern Nigeria’s oldest public schools where he was enrolled in 2020.

“My son and my daughter are registered in the school because his sister became six and we had to register her.

But we have had to temporarily withdraw them for the security of the school because we got intercepts from at least two groups that are planning to attack the school to kidnap my son.

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. I have taken a stand against paying bandits and at least three groups of bandits have been intercepted planning to go to Kaduna Capital school and kidnap my son and ‘see if they catch my son, I go say I no go pay ransom?’” the governor said.