By our reporter| The over 300 hundred abducted students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State were freed late on Thursday night.
Katsina State governor, Aminu Bello Masari who confirmed the release of the boys to journalists, said 344 boys were freed.
According to him, the boys are presently kept safe in Tsafe, a local government area in Zamfara State.
Governor Masari noted that the boys would be brought back to Kankara in Katsina State on Friday.
According to multiple sources in Katsina and Abuja, the schoolboys were released after “rigorous” negotiation between governments at the national and state levels on one hand and the abductors on the other side.
“The boys, in company of security operatives, negotiators and other stakeholders, are on their way to Katsina from the point of exchange,” one of the sources said.
As at the time of filing this report, it has not been established if ransom was paid to secure the release of the boys but a source familiar with the negotiation could not imagine a scenario where the boys were freed without any form of payment.
President Muhammadu Buhari has described the safe return of the schoolboys as a big relief to their families, the entire country, and to the international community.
The President who made the comment shortly after the release of the boys, commended what he called the spirit of partnership and the collaborative efforts of the governments of Katsina, Zamfara, and military which led to the release of the students.
Earlier on Thursday, Alabingo.com reported that the Boko Haram faction loyal to Abubakar Shekau who claimed responsibility for the abduction, released a video of the students.
The students, abducted from their dormitory on Friday night, were seen in the bush, calling on the federal government to come to their rescue.
Leave a Reply