Nasir el-Rufai, the Kaduna State Governor, is under fire on social media after a report exposed how he secretly withdrew his son from a public primary school over fear of attack by bandits.

El-Rufai had secretly withdrawn his seven-year-old son Abubakar Al-Sadiq from the Kaduna Capital School after displaying a “political and media stunt” to impress the public during the enrollment.

Although the enrolment of Al-Sadiq was made public, the withdrawal from the school was done discreetly, until it was exposed by Daily Trust. on Saturday.

When contacted by BBC News Pidgin, the Governor said his son had been targeted by bandits because of his controversial public stand against the payment of ransom.

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“My son and my daughter are registered in the school because his sister became six and we had to register her,” he said.

“But we have had to temporarily withdraw them for the security of the school because we got intercepts from at least two groups that are planning to attack the school to kidnap my son.

“We have no idea what weapons they will come with. I have taken a stand against paying bandits and at least three groups of bandits have been intercepted planning to go to Kaduna Capital School and kidnap my son.”

The Governor has since been criticised on social media for playing to the gallery by portraying himself as a politician living the life of a commoner.