Six Days in Bandits’ Den: We went through hell Released Katsina students
On Our abductors flogged us, shot into air to scare us Fed us with cassava, raw potatoes, dirty water We trekked long hours in the bush in cold night No ransom paid to secure their release Gov Masari Put your experience behind you Buhari tells them
By Kingsley Omonobi; Dapo Akinrefon; Ibrahim HassanWuyo; Bashir Bello & Charly Agwam
After spending six days in the bandits’ enclave under dehumanising conditions, 344 students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State yesterday relived their traumatic experience moments after they regained freedom.
Looking unkempt and emaciated, many of the students were barefooted and limping. Their parents expressed relief from six agonising days. Governor Aminu Masari said while some parents cried for a missing child, he cried for 344 missing children.
Yushau Shuaib: Is Katsina the new haven of terror-banditry in Nigeria
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Was it not strange that the abduction of Kankara boys occurred on the day President Muhammadu Buhari arrived in Daura, his hometown, in Katsina, on a private visit? It is even more curious that the abductees were released on his birthday. Buhari last visited the state in December 2019, when he inaugurated construction work on the N18billion University of Transportation, Daura.
While Borno in the North-East is the epicentre of Boko Haram terrorism, Zamfara in the North-West seems to be the hotbed of armed banditry, and Katsina, the home state of the President is fast becoming the haven of the fusion of notorious gangs of terror-bandits. Recently, terrorists massacred over 45 farmers at Zabarmani in Borno. Bandits kidnapped an Imam and 17 Muslim worshipers while observing congregational prayer at Dutsen Gari mosque in Zamfara before the terror-bandits abducted large population of students in Kankara.
Huge relief as Boko Haram releases 344 abducted boys independent.ie - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from independent.ie Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Updated December 19, 2020
President Muhammadu Buhari gestures at a meeting with the Kankara students on December 18, 2020, following their release by their captors.
President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to the rescued students of Government Science Secondary School in Kankara, Katsina State, to return to school.
He urged them to remain focused on pursuing their interest in acquiring a good education, despite the misfortune of kidnapping, noting that the reward of knowledge was not negotiable.
The President gave the words of encouragement on Friday when he met with the 344 students at the Banquet Hall of the Government House in Katsina State.
Colin Dwyer MORE Nigerian government officials say that more than 300 schoolboys, who had been abducted in an attack claimed by Boko Haram, have been freed. Photo by Kola Sulaimon - AFP via Getty Images
More than 300 schoolchildren have safely walked free, according to Nigerian officials, roughly a week after their mass abduction in the northern state of Katsina. The region s governor, Aminu Bello Masari, announced the release of the boys 344 in all in a statement Thursday, saying they would receive medical attention before reuniting with their families. This is a huge relief to the entire country & international community, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said in his own remarks. The entire country is grateful to Governor Masari, the Intelligence Agencies, the Military and the Police Force.