**Kaduna Governor Withdraws Son from Public School over Kidnap Threat**

  I withdrew my son from public school because he is a target of Kidnappers — El-Rufai

Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has revealed that he temporarily withdrew his son from a public school due to credible threats of kidnapping. The governor's son, Abubakar Sadiq, was enrolled in the public school in 2019. In an interview with the Pidgin Service of the BBC, Governor El-Rufai explained that intelligence reports had reached the government indicating that three bandit groups were plotting to kidnap his son from the school. Worried about the safety of his son and other pupils at the school, the governor decided to withdraw Abubakar Sadiq and his younger sister, Nasrine, who had just turned six and was also enrolled in the same public school. To ensure continuity in their education, the governor stated that the children are currently receiving home schooling and only go to school to write exams. He further assured that they would return to the public school once the security situation in the state improves. "My son and his daughter were registered in Capital School, because his son (Abubakar-Sadiq) is now six and we also registered her in the school. But we had to withdraw them because we received security report that three groups are making plans to attack the school and kidnap my son," Governor El-Rufai explained. While acknowledging the adequate security measures in place at the school, the governor expressed concern that a kidnapping attempt could still put other pupils at risk due to the unpredictable nature of the kidnappers and the potential firepower they might bring. The governor reiterated his stance against paying ransom to kidnappers and disclosed that the intelligence report indicated that the planned kidnap of his son was a ploy to test his resolve and see if he would succumb to their demands. Governor El-Rufai expressed his desire for Abubakar Sadiq and Nasrine to return to the public school when the security situation improves and their presence no longer poses a risk to other children. The decision to temporarily withdraw the children from the school was based on the advice of security agencies, he added.