Parents of the 39 abducted students of Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka, in Kaduna state have debunked the story earlier reported that they contributed the sum of N800, 000 and pay as ransom to bandits who have held their children in captive through a Kaduna cleric, Sheikh Gumi for the release of the children.
Recalled that, Roots TV, in one of its publication has it that, one of the parents in a live interview, claimed that 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 their children.
The parents have therefore replied to this publication in a statement, said it is far from the truth.
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“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 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, 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.
“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”.
Also, they 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.
They have 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 their children so that they may be reunited with their families.
