A sidelined bandit kingpin is suspected of abducting female students at a university in Nigeria’s Zamfara state, according to local media reports.
The kingpin is said to have taken the students to vent his anger for being excluded from negotiations between the federal government and other bandit groups.
The abduction occurred on September 21, and the students have not yet been released.
The federal government has denied involvement in the negotiations with the bandit kingpin, but the state government has accused the federal government of secretly negotiating with bandits without its knowledge.
Read also We have evidence of FG’s sneaky negotiations with bandits, Zamfara Gov insists
The kidnapping has sparked a debate about how to deal with the bandit crisis in Zamfara state.
Some experts have argued that negotiations are the only way to end the violence, while others have called for a military crackdown.
The Nigerian government has deployed troops to Zamfara state to crack down on the bandits, but the violence has continued.
The kidnapping of the students is a reminder of the urgent need to find a solution to the bandit crisis in Zamfara state.
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