Nigeria, March 9 -- The Kaduna State Government has denied reports by some newspapers on Saturday that it has engaged the services of an independent negotiator to facilitate the release of 287 school children abducted in the state on Thursday

On Saturday, The PUNCH reported that a highly placed source in the Kaduna State Government House, who it said is close to the negotiations, confided in the newspaper that the state government had reached out to the bandits through a private negotiator.

It described the said private negotiator as a highly influential negotiator who had been involved in negotiating several abductions with bandits in the past.

But, in a statement by Governor Uba Sani's spokesperson, Mohammed Shehu, on Saturday, the g...