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18-12-2020
ABUJA: Hundreds of schoolboys who were kidnapped in northwestern Nigeria nearly a week ago have been released, a local official said late on Thursday, prompting joy and relief for families that had been praying for the boys’ safe return.
Katsina state Governor Aminu Bello Masari said in a televised interview with state channel NTA that 344 boys held in the Rugu Forest in neighboring Zamfara state had been freed.
“I think we have recovered most of the boys,” he said.
it was not immediately clear if all the boys who were kidnapped had been released.
Earlier, a presidential aide said the schoolboys had been freed, but it was 
unclear how many were released amid continuing uncertainty about how many were abducted from their all-boys school last Friday in Kankara, a town in Katsina state.
Masari said Nigeria security forces had cordoned off the area where the boys were being held and had been ordered not to fire their weapons.
“We had already established indirect contact to try to make sure that we secure the release of the children unharmed,” he said. “We thank God that they took our advice and not a single shot was fired.”
A security aide to the governor told media that 344 students were rescued and are in Zamfara undergoing checks. “We are grateful to God they have been released,” Ibrahim Katsina said.
The governor added that the boys were on their way back to Katsina state and would be medically examined and reunited with their families on Friday.
“I am so happy,” retired health worker Shuaibu Kankara, whose 13-year-old son Annas Shuaibu was among the kidnapped boys, told media.
“We are so grateful to the governor of Katsina and all those who worked hard to secure their release,” said Kankara, adding that his only concern was to be reunited with his son.
The students were kidnapped last Friday from the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara.
In an audio recording, a man identifying himself as the leader of Boko Haram claimed on Tuesday that the armed group was responsible for the abduction.
The kidnapping has gripped Nigeria and raised growing concerns and anger about insecurity and violence in the country’s north.
President Muhammadu Buhari welcomed the students’ release and asked for patience while his administration dealt with security issues.
“Our administration is fully aware of the responsibility we have to protect the lives and property of all Nigerians,” Buhari tweeted. “I ask Nigerians to be patient and fair to us as we deal with the challenges of security, the economy, and corruption. We will not relent.”
Earlier on Thursday, dozens of protesters marched through the streets in the city of Katsina under the banner #BringBackOurBoys. (Int’l News Desk)
