Boko Haram video shows abducted Kankara schoolboys
A new video released by Boko Haram has shown some abducted students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina state, begging the state governor to cancel any rescue attempt.
Over 800 students were present when gunmen attacked the school last Friday.
Abubakar Shekau, leader of Boko Haram, on Tuesday, claimed his group was responsible for the attack. Claims which the state government refuted saying the attack was carried out by bandits.
In a new video released on Thursday by the insurgents, some of the boys can be seen appealing to the government to cooperate with their abductors so that they can be freed.
“Please help us. Tell the vigilantes and soldiers not to come around,” one of the boys in the video said, adding “more than 500 of us are in the forest”.
“Close any form of school, including Islamiyah. Please send the army back. They can’t do anything to help us. Please, sir, we need your assistance,” a distraught boy said.
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At the end of the video, a voice believed to be that of Shekau said, “he was doing Allah’s work”.
Earlier, Aminu Masari, the governor of Katsina, had claimed that bandits and not Boko Haram abducted the schoolboys.
He said the state government was negotiating with the abductors of the children.
“The report we have and from the information available to us, this abduction was conducted and executed by local bandits that are known to all of us,” he had said.
When asked if there is a possible link between the attackers and Boko Haram, the governor said there are “signs” that bandits are making contact with the insurgents.
