A repented bandit, Auwal Daudawa has said students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, were kidnapped because the state Governor, Bello Masari dared the bandits.
Speaking to Daily Trust on Thursday, Daudawa said he masterminded and led the abduction of students last year due to comments made by Masari.
He asserted that he carried out the abduction because the governor refused to dialogue with his men, and the government was sending military jets to torment his men.
The repented bandits stressed that he kidnapped the students to prove to the government that he had the capacity to carry out such an attack.
Daudawa, however, confessed that he had had never done that kind of mass abduction in Zamfara state, saying that Katsina is the only place he carried out the attack.
Daudawa said that he led a gang of bandits that had a base in Dumburum forest in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
He revealed that his gang terrorised residents and road users at Zurmi-Gidan Jaja and Jibia axis of the state.
He said, “I have never done that kind of mass abduction in Zamfara. I did that in Katsina because the governor came out to say he will not dialogue again with our people. So, we said since they said they were not interested in peace deal and they were sending military jets to torment our people, and destroy what we had, we should take the battle to those who are not interested in peace.
“I did that to demonstrate that I had the capacity to do it and I was not afraid of anybody other than Allah. It was for the government, and the whole world to know that we could do it but were hitherto not interested in something like that.”
Daudawa also denied that his group collected ransom before releasing the over 300 abducted students, challenging anyone who has contrary evidence to speak up.
“After the abduction you could see that I was not difficult to come around during talks because I did not do it because of money. If it were for money, I would not have released them even for N2 trillion. The whole world knows, if I was given money it would be known, if I was not given it is also known. It cannot be hidden.”
