INTERVIEW: Why Dogo Gide, terrorist leader, married our daughters – Father of a kidnapped student

Sani Kaoje, 66, is the father of Farida Kaoje, 16, one of the students abducted by terrorists from Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State in 2021. In this exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES , the retired civil servant turned farmer, says Dogo Gide, the leader of the terrorist gang who kidnapped the schoolgirls, married them off.

On June 17, 2021, terrorists invaded the school and abducted more than 90 students and teachers from the school. Immediately after the attack, the army announced the rescue of five students and two teachers.

Two days after the attack, three students and a teacher were rescued by the military. Two students also escaped from the terrorist camp.

In October, the Kebbi state government said it had secured the release of 30 students through dialogue with the terrorists. The government said it was making efforts to release the rest of the girls. In January, terrorists freed another 30 students after further mediation with the government.

In this interview, Mr. Kaoje explains to our reporter why the leader of the terrorist gang behind the kidnapping married the remaining 11 daughters.

Excerpts:

PT: What is your relationship with Farida, one of the abducted students from FGC Birnin Yauri?

Mr. Kaoje: Farida is one of my children. She is now 16 (she was 15 when she was abducted). She was in JSS three. I have 19 living children including her. Farida is the 15th of my children. I have three wives.

PT: How did you get the news of your daughter's abduction?

Mr Kaoje: I was having breakfast in the morning when Farida's mother ran into my room screaming. She said she heard that FGC Birnin Yauri had been attacked and students had been abducted. I rushed to school and met other parents there. At first the school management and security guards refused us entry, but then they let us in after confirming that we had children in school.

An hour after the abduction, Farida called me on her friend's phone. She said, “Baba, we were abducted and they said they were taking us to a forest in Zamfara State. I calmed her down. I told him that God would save them from all harm. That was the end of our conversation at the time.

PT: Some people said there was an alert that the students would be taken away. You also said that one of your children alerted you. Have you asked the school authority for an explanation?

Mr. Kaoje: Even Dogo Gide himself told me that he wrote to the school twice before attacking him. They just weren't serious about it. But he said he alerted them. The school, I was told, said the letters were written by students. I'm not sure how they handled it since I wasn't there.

But this school is obviously vulnerable to attacks. These bandits follow behind the school walls to perpetrate violence on other communities. The signs were there. The authority should have known that the school would soon be attacked.

PT: I learned that some of the students were rescued by security guards while others were expelled after ransom payments or other agreements with the state government. Why wasn't your own child released?

Mr Kaoje: I don't understand the way this government does things. I thought that when they were doing the rescue operations, they first focused on rescuing the girls because of their vulnerability. They should have negotiated and got the girls first, but they didn't.

PT: Did the government tell you why your daughter was not among those released?

Mr. Kaoje: No. What I do know is that everyone you saw was rescued by the government. The Governor (Kebbi State) did his best immediately after the kidnapping. He gave his best and the first set was brought back and he did it the second time. We waited hoping they would save our child but we heard nothing. No one tells us anything anymore. Even when we tried to reach them, they told us that the governor had gone to Abuja. Sometimes when we call them, they don't answer the phone.

I don't know if other people were invited or allowed to go to see them (government), especially the state government secretary, but I don't know if there was anything. thing like that. But I haven't met any.

PT: So how did you know your daughter was married?

Mr Kaoje: It's him (Mr Dogo) who...