Kebbi Schoolgirls: Bandits Mock Nigerian Government in Video, Claim They Negotiated Release of the Students.
A newly circulated video appears to directly challenge the Nigerian government’s account of how dozens of schoolgirls from Kebbi State were freed from captivity, showing the armed kidnappers claiming authorities negotiated with them for the students’ release.
The footage emerged online just a day after the Kebbi State government announced the students’ freedom. On Tuesday, officials said the girls from the Government Girls Secondary School in Maga had been released and would be reunited with their families. At the time, authorities told the public that no ransom was paid to secure their freedom.
However, the new video, shared widely on social media, tells a different story from the perspective of the kidnappers. In the clip, armed men are seen speaking with the students, who are gathered in a forested area.
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One of the armed men is heard questioning the girls about military activity during their captivity. “How many jets passed above you?” he asks. The students reply in unison, “Uncountable.”
The kidnapper then uses this to boast that the government’s show of force was ineffective. He states that the authorities were unable to mount a successful rescue operation and were forced to come to the table. “We are letting you go after negotiations. Your government cannot rescue you with might. Your government has failed,” one of the abductors declares to the camera.
The bandits also engaged the girls in a question-and-answer session seemingly designed to portray themselves in a specific light. They asked the students if they were kept hungry or physically harmed during their time in captivity. The girls answered “No” to both questions.
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“Did we leave you hungry?” one bandit asked.
“No,” the girls replied.
“Were you assaulted in any way?” he followed up.
“No,” they answered again.
Another kidnapper is heard telling the students, “We will take you back home safe to your parents, we are doing this based on peace deals.”
This new evidence has raised pointed questions about the transparency of the government’s communication regarding the incident. The girls were abducted last week when armed men attacked their school, a violent event that also resulted in the death of the school’s vice-principal.
Following their release, the students were seen in good spirits, smiling as they were transported by bus to the state capital. Governor Nasir Idris and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, had personally announced that all abducted students were free.
The government has maintained that the girls were released unconditionally. This new video, however, places that official narrative in direct conflict with the claims of the captors. As of Wednesday morning, state officials have not yet issued a response to the content of the video.
The students are expected to be formally handed over to their parents later today, bringing an end to a frightening ordeal for the families, even as the debate over the terms of their freedom is now just beginning.
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