Kaduna State government has distanced itself from a report that private negotiator has been hired to interface with terrorists to free the 287 abducted pupils in the state.
The government in a statement by Chief Press Secretary to the Kaduna State Governor, Muhammad Lawal Sheh, maintained that the report by a newspaper that it has hired a private negotiator to release the 287 school pupils kidnap in Kuriga 1 is far from the truth.
“The attention of the Kaduna State government has been drawn to an outrightly mischievous and false report stating that the Kaduna State government has hired a private negotiator to facilitate the safe return of school children abducted in Kuriga community, Chikun Local Council of Kaduna State.”
“We wish to state categorically that the Kaduna State government did not hire any private negotiator, neither are we contemplating making such a move.
“The hiring of a private negotiator only exists in the fertile imagination of the reporter. The Kaduna State government has a clear policy on non-negotiation with terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements.
“We urge members of the press to be cautious in the way they craft and publicise their stories on security in order not to jeopardize the efforts of government and security agencies in degrading criminal elements laying siege to our communities.
“If the newspaper had made efforts to contact the Kaduna State government, they would have gotten the correct information. The press is our partners in progress. Our doors are always open,” the CPS stressed.
