Accusations, counter accusations as 29 abducted Afaka students regain freedom

**We paid bandits through Sheikh Gumi – Mother alleges

**lt’s not true, other parents declare

Idibia Gabriel, Kaduna

Controversy ensued yesterday as a mother of one of the abducted 29 students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka, Kaduna State, made a stunning revelation against the Sheikh Mahmud Gumi, saying they contributed and paid N800,000 to the bandits through him.

Meanwhile, news filtered in late yesterday that 29 of the students have been released.

The student’s mother who revealed that the Afaka 39 parents contributed and paid the money to a Fulani man through Gumi for the release of their children however had her allegations immediately refuted and described as untrue by the other parents’ representative in a statement on Wednesday in Kaduna.

The statement signed by the representative committee Chairman and Secretary, Malam Abdullahi Usman and Mrs Catherine Y. Saleh maintained that the claim was untrue.

The statement reads in parts: “The attention of the parents of the 39 abducted Afaka students has been drawn to a screaming headline in today’s (May 5, 2021) publication of Roots TV to the effect that one of us (name withheld), who spoke to them in a live interview, claimed that we, the parents of the abducted students, contributed and paid the sum of N800,000 naira to a Fulani man through Sheikh Gumi for the release of our children.

“We wish to state in no unclear terms that the claim has no basis in fact. Though the woman in the said video has a child in captivity, but her claim is untrue.

The woman is not a member of the committee representing the affected parents and did not speak on behalf of the parents.

“To be sure, the Forum of the Abducted Parents has never gathered money and given to Gumi or to someone through the revered Islamic scholar at anytime. We therefore dissociate ourselves from the statement.

The committee considers the statement as unfortunate and an unnecessary distraction from its commitment to secure the release of their children who have now spent 56 days in captivity.

“For the record, the committee representing the Forum of Parents of the 39 Abducted Students visited the home of Sheikh Gumi to seek his intervention for the release of our children, but he declined, on the grounds that as a law-abiding citizen he would not want to go against the position of the state government which has forbidden anyone to negotiate with bandits.

“We apologise to the esteemed Sheikh for any personal injury the statement might have caused him.

“Again we call on all to join their voices in calling on government at state and federal levels to work extra hard to ensure the safe release of our children so that they may be reunited with their families.

“While we await God’s intervention for the release of our children, we call on all people of goodwill to join us in prayers as we continue to seek God’s help for the release of our children,” it stated.

Meanwhile, circumstances surrounding the release of the students remain unclear.

The students were kidnapped in March, but 11 were earlier freed.

One of the affected parents confirmed that they were released at a village in Giwa Local Government Area of the state and that they were on their way to Kaduna, as at the time of going to press.

The Kaduna Police Command has reported to the State Government, the release of the remaining students, the second security update, Wednesday revealed.

According to a statement by internal security and Home Affairs commissioner, Mr Samuel Aruwan, the government rejoices with the freed students, their families and the management of the institution over this development.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai charged them to view their ordeal as a motivator to put the past behind and work hard towards a happier and successful future ahead. End