The Kaduna State Police Command said on Wednesday that it was negotiating with abductors of the six female students, a teacher and a matron, taken from their school on October 3.

The command also said it had arrested 50 suspects allegedly involved in various criminal activities across the state and recovered 27 guns.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Ali Janga said at a news conference in Kaduna that the police opted to talk to the kidnappers so as not to put the lives of the girls at risk.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the six girls and two staff of Engravers College were abducted on Thursday night.

“We are negotiating with the kidnappers to rescue these students and their teachers, we know the location of the kidnappers but we do not want to endanger their lives.

“Most of these kidnappers are operating under the influence of hard drugs, so killing is nothing to them, this is why we are still negotiating with them and as soon as the victims are released, we will go after them.

“We are assuring the people of Kaduna State that we will arrest these kidnappers very soon.

“Mistake has been made by the school authority, but we will do our best to ensure the release of these victims,” the police commissioner said.

Mr Janga disclosed that among the 50 suspects arrested were those who abducted a prominent Islamic scholar,
Ahmad Algarkawi, and a member of the state assembly, Suleiman Dabo.

“It may interest you to note that, most of the suspects confessed to being responsible for terrorizing our highways, and kidnapping of Sheik Ahmad Algarkawi, killing of three Operatives of IGP’S Intelligent Response Team (IRT) in 2018 and recent kidnapping of ABU students and Hon. Suleiman Dabo.”

According to him, the arrest of the suspects was the result of a carefully planned and coordinated operation
carried out by the command.

The suspects are being held for kidnapping, armed banditry, cattle rustling, rape, culpable homicide, theft and receiving stolen properties.

Among exhibits recovered were 20 AK47 rifles, one assault rifle, three Beretta pistols, three locally made pistols, 135 live ammunition, four vehicles, one Tricycle.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, who was at the briefing,
urged people of state to volunteer information to the police in order to ease their work.

“I call on the media to also do the needful by enlightening the public that police are partners in progress,” he said.

(NAN)