The Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has denied the claims by two abducted men claiming to be his younger brothers.

Lawal made this known in a statement made available by his spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris, on Tuesday describing the move as a “ploy to gain attention”.

In a video clip, two hooded gunmen were in the background, and the victims were forced to claim a blood relationship with the Governor.

They were asked to contact the Governor to release money to facilitate their freedom; otherwise, they would kill them.

However, reacting to the development, the governor described the incident as a “new ploy by bandits to gain attention and bolster sagging morale of their members.

“The government is currently taking steps to ensure the victims’ safe rescue and to reunite them with their families.

“Upon watching the video clips critically, one can see how distressed the kidnap victims were. I believe this is a new format adopted by the bandits. However, none of the kidnap victims is related to the Governor. The Governor has only one sibling, a woman.” (The PUNCH, but headline rejigged)