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Kidnapped Schoolboys Released After Negotiations, No Ransom Paid – Masari
The Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, has said that ransom was not paid before kidnappers freed hundreds of schoolboys kidnapped from Kankara part of the state.
He said the boys, kidnapped last week, were released after negotiations with the kidnappers whom he described as bandits. He did not, however, say what the bandits got in return for freeing the students.
In an interview with DWTV Hausa on Thursday night, Mr Masari said the boys were being conveyed to Katsina at the time of this report.
“One hour ago, Nigerian soldiers and government officials that were involved in the negotiation for the release of the kidnapped schoolboys have told us that the whole school children have been released, 344 of them,” Mr Masari said at about 10 p.m. Thursday night.
“At the moment, we have arranged for vehicles to transport them from where they are to the state capital, Katsina. From then, we will pass them through to doctors to diagnose them,” he said.
“Those involved in the negotiation include my adviser, some top military and police operatives. Members of Miyetti Allah; (they) were all involved in the negotiation.”
When asked if the government paid ransom before the release of the schoolboys, he said money was not paid.
“We did not pay ransom to the kidnappers, it was purely negotiation,” he said.
He also said the kidnappers were not Boko Haram despite claims to the contrary by the sect.
“They are bandits who kidnapped the schoolboys, not Boko Haram.
“What we will do next is to transport them to us in Katsina, ask our doctors to look at them and then give them new clothes to wear and reunite them with their parents,” he said.
The Secretary to the Katsina State Government, Mustapha Inuwa, had earlier on Thursday evening confirmed the release of the students.
On Tuesday, the terror group, Boko Haram, claimed responsibility for the abduction and subsequently released a video that showed some of the boys believed to have been abducted from the school pleading for their safe return home.
Mr Inuwa told reporters Thursday evening that the students were freed in Zamfara and were being transported from Tsafe town in Zamfara to the Katsina Government House on Thursday night.
Kidnapping for ransom has become rampant in Katsina, Zamfara and other Northwestern states, as well as other parts of Nigeria.
However, the kidnap of the over 300 students at a go is the largest such incident in Northwest Nigeria, reminiscent of the kidnap of hundreds of schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State, in 2014, by the terrorist Boko Haram sect.
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The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has disowned reports claiming it has endorsed President Bola Tinubu for the 2027 general elections.
It’s President General, Senator John Azuta Mbata, dismissed the claims as false and misleading, insisting that the group is strictly non-partisan.
“This (endorsement) is not to my knowledge. Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide is a socio-cultural organization, not a political party. It is not in a position to endorse or refuse to endorse anyone,” Mbata declared in statement.
According to the apex Igbo group, the clarification followed recent claims by individuals parading themselves as leaders of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, who claim that the organization has pledged its support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Mbata stressed that such claims should be ignored, warning that only one recognized leadership exists for Ohanaeze Ndigbo, under his authority.
He added that the group remains committed to its primary role of promoting the unity, culture, and welfare of the Igbo people, not playing partisan politics.
FIFA has thrown South Africa’s World Cup dream into turmoil after ruling that Bafana Bafana fielded an ineligible player in their March 21 clash against Lesotho.
The disciplinary committee announced on Monday that South Africa must forfeit the match, which they had originally won 2-0, awarding a 3-0 victory to Lesotho.
The punishment stems from the appearance of midfielder Teboho Mokoena, who should have been serving a one-match suspension after picking up two yellow cards earlier in the campaign.
By allowing him to play, the South African Football Association (SAFA) breached Article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code as well as Article 14 of the 2026 World Cup preliminary competition regulations.
In addition to the forfeit, SAFA has been hit with a fine of 10,000 Swiss francs, while Mokoena has been issued with a formal warning.
The ruling is effective immediately, and South Africa’s points tally in Group C has now dropped from 17 to 14, leaving their qualification hopes hanging in the balance.
The impact on the standings is significant. South Africa had been clear leaders, but the deduction now places them level on points with Benin.
Nigeria and Rwanda, just three points behind, suddenly see their chances revived, with two decisive fixtures still to be played in the group. Lesotho, who are officially credited with a 3-0 win, also benefit from the ruling, though their prospects of qualifying remain slim.
SAFA has been given ten days to request a detailed, motivated decision from Fifa, which would later be published on the governing body’s legal website. The association also has the right to appeal the sanction before the FIFA Appeal Committee.
While SAFA has yet to issue a detailed response, officials previously played down the risk of disciplinary action, insisting they were focused on the remaining qualifiers. Rival coaches and observers, however, have already voiced frustration at the delay in delivering the ruling, with Benin coach Gernot Rohr describing the process as “very, very strange.”
For South Africa, the road to the 2026 World Cup is suddenly far more complicated, with little margin for error in their remaining fixtures.
A former Chinese Minister of Agriculture, Tang Renjian, has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve by the Intermediate People’s Court of Changchun in Jilin Province, concluding a high-profile bribery case that exposed corruption to the tune of over 268 million yuan (approximately $38 million) spanning from 2007 to 2024.
The court ruled that Tang abused multiple positions at both central and local government levels to accept bribes in cash and property, dealing severe damage to the interests of the state and the public.
While the gravity of his offenses justified the death penalty, Tang’s full confession, cooperation, and restitution of the illicit gains earned him leniency in the form of a suspended execution.
Tang’s fall from grace underscores the far-reaching anti-corruption campaign spearheaded by President Xi Jinping, aimed at rooting out graft within China’s political and military ranks.
Tang was expelled from the Communist Party in November 2024, six months after investigations began by party watchdogs.
Prior to his ministerial role, Tang served as governor of Gansu Province and vice chairman of the Guangxi Autonomous Region.
His sentencing follows similar cases of former defence ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe, who were removed from office amid corruption probes, highlighting the campaign’s scope across multiple government sectors.
The court also confiscated all Tang’s personal property and mandated the recovery of all illegal earnings for transfer to the national treasury. The verdict included lifetime deprivation of Tang’s political rights, emphasizing the severe consequences of corruption.
During the trial held in July, Tang admitted guilt and expressed remorse, factors which the court acknowledged in suspending the death sentence execution for two years— a measure which often leads to commutation or reduction of the sentence if no further crimes are committed .
This landmark case is a stark message from the Chinese leadership about the zero-tolerance stance on corruption, reflecting President Xi’s ongoing campaign since 2012 to maintain absolute loyalty, purity, and reliability within the Communist Party and government institutions.
The crackdown has disciplined over a million officials, aiming to curb corruption that is widely seen as the greatest threat to party governance.
