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News Flash: Bandits Targeting My Son-El-Rufai
News Flash: Bandits Targeting My Son-El-Rufai
iexclusive News Nigeria reports that Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has disclosed why he’secretly’ withdrew his seven-year-old son, Abubakar Al-Sadiq El-Rufai, from Kaduna Capital school.
Last year, the governor enrolled him in one of northern Nigeria’s oldest public schools in a bold move.
However, in an interview with BBC Pidgin, El-Rufai stated that his son had been targeted by bandits as a result of the governor’s public stance against the governor’s public stand against the payment of ransom.
El-Rufai stated in the interview that this was the first time he would address the matter.
When his daughter, Nesrin, aged six, he enrolled her in the school as well.
He stated that, despite the fact that there was no threat to Nesrin, both children were removed from school on the suggestion of security officials.
“My son and daughter are enrolled in school because his sister turned six and we needed to register her.
“However, we had to temporarily withdraw them for the sake of the school’s security because we received intercepts from at least two gangs plotting to attack the school in order to kidnap my son.
“We have no idea what weaponry they’ll bring. I have taken a stand against paying bandits, and at least three groups of bandits have been apprehended planning to kidnap my son at Kaduna Capital School and ‘see if they catch my son, I go say I no go pay ransom?’” the governor said.
He ensured that his decision was only based on the safety of other children in the school, and that he enrolled his kid in the school to demonstrate to the people of Kaduna State that he had enough faith in the public-school system, and that he plans to honor his word.
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El-Rufai, who has faced criticism from residents who accuse him of enrolling his kid in public school for political reasons, has stated that his actions were not politically driven.
“We believe in leading by example, and we feel that whatever policy we suggest that would have a bad impact on people, we will start imposing it on ourselves,” he stated.
The governor said that his son, who is still enrolled at the school and attends tests, is now being home-schooled and pledged that both children will return there as long as there is reasonable trust that their attendance will not jeopardize the school’s reputation.
“I intend for my children to attend public school for as long as I am governor here.
“Of course, when my term is up, I will go. When I finish, I plan to leave Kaduna. I’m not going to stay here any longer. “I might look into alternative options for putting them in other schools,” he said.
He stated that the young El-Rufai misses school, saying, “he constantly asking, ‘Baba, when will I go back to school, I miss my classmates, I miss my teachers?” I told him not yet, because you can’t tell a seven-year-old he’s going to be kidnapped.”
On Saturday, this online news outlet reported that El-Rufai had quietly withdrew his son from Kaduna Capital School following what many analysts described as a “political and media ploy” to give the idea that he is just like any other commoner.