Garba Shehu Reveals What He Was Told About the Kankara Mass Kidnap

The kidnapping of more than 200 students from Government Science Secondary School in Kankara, Katsina State, in December 2020 was the most upsetting event that former presidential spokesperson Malam Garba Shehu said occurred during his tenure under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
In his remarks about the widely reported incident, Shehu recalled phoning a senior Nigerian Army official to verify the extent of the kidnapping.

The unidentified official apparently minimized the seriousness, telling Shehu that only “less than 10” kids were kidnapped. This is a far cry from the reality, as around 300 pupils were ultimately found to be missing.

In an interview with Daily Trust, Shehu reportedly revealed the information, describing how he was mislead by military officials at the time, resulting in a significant misunderstanding with the international media.

“Everyone in the world was calling, and all eyes were on Nigeria and BBC World. Therefore, before speaking, you needed to gather the information,” Shehu clarified.

According to the individual on the ground, “Don’t believe all these things they’re telling you about 280.” They abducted people who were younger than ten. I repeated that to broadcast systems around the world.

Although the military never provided an explanation for the mistake, Shehu said that after the outcry, he took the initiative to apologize to the Katsina State Government and the parents of the students who had been kidnapped.

“I apologized to the state’s government, citizens, and all of the children’s parents in a statement,” he stated.

When questioned if there were any consequences for the army officer who deceived him, Shehu said, “I don’t know whether there was [any consequence].”

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Shehu also disclosed another incident of being mislead, this time by Boko Haram militants who killed more than fifty farmers in Borno State.

Although he would not identify the individuals involved, he claimed that “someone was putting a spin on it, misleading me as presidential spokesperson.”

As you may remember, the kidnapping at the Kankara school happened just hours after then-President Buhari came in Katsina for a special visit.

The incident was widely denounced and raised questions about how the administration was managing insecurity in the northern part of the country.

Even though the students were subsequently freed following negotiations, the incident is still regarded as one of the most troubling periods in Nigeria’s recent security history.