HumAngle, a respected Nigerian outlet, wrote a source inside Boko Haram had told it that 523 boys had been kidnapped.
The figure is far higher than that given by Aminu Bello Masari, the governor of Katsina State, who said more than 300 boys were still missing. If true, the news will be a blow to Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s president, whose spokesman initially claimed only 10 students were held by the gunmen.
The kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok in the north-east by Boko Haram in 2014 and the bungled government attempts to get the children back caused national and global outrage.
The assault comes as Boko Haram and the Nigerian military may be investigated for war crimes in the insurgency.