“We are not hearing any concrete demands, but we will make sure the children return home empty-handed.” “All areas have been secured but the security forces are not firing here because we want to ensure that … we are not harmed by any collateral.”
A large number of assailants riding on motorcycles attacked Kankarni-l-Boys Government Science Secondary School in Katsina state last week, local police said. They said the attack could be a kidnapping-ransom attempt.
Various estimates have been made of the number of children abducted from the school. Government officials said it was difficult to track the numbers accurately, as some children fled during the attack and others escaped and returned to villages and schools over the weekend.
“We [the government] “Ultimately responsible,” Masari said.
A man claiming to be the leader of Boko Haram said on Tuesday that the terrorist group was responsible for the kidnapping, according to a short audio dio message shared with Nigerian media and reviewed by CNN.
“I am Abubakar Shekau and our brothers are behind the kidnapping in Katsina,” the man said in the recording. Shekau is the leader of a group of Boko Haram.
Masari did not completely dismiss the voice note but warned that “more concrete evidence” was needed before confirming Boko Haram’s involvement.
The kidnappers have not yet made a direct demand, but a child of the abducted teacher contacted his father. He simply complained that the Air Force was flying overhead and said he might need the money.
When asked if he would pay the ransom, Masari said it was not our government’s policy to do so.
“We will look for other ways to protect the lives and liberties of children,” he added.
The kidnapping is outside the normal sphere of Boko Haram activity. Their operations are generally centered in the northeast of the country, although security analysts believe their reach has changed since the security crackdown in the region.
There have been several kidnappings for ransom in Katsina state in recent years, but this is not the scale.
Some witnesses told CNN that the people who targeted the school were Fulani gunmen, an ethnic group involved in kidnappings and criminal activities in the area.
Boko Haram’s Sheikha group was behind the abduction of about 300 school kidneys in Chibok in 2014. Their captivity lasted for years and many children never returned after the introduction of negotiations.
In 2018, a broken Boko Haram group known as ISWAP abducted more than 100 girls in Dapchi. All but one were released weeks later, after negotiations.
According to a UNICEF report, these are the most hyper-examples, with Boko Haram abducting more than 100 children since 2001.
“We are now responsible and will fulfill our responsibility to ensure and ensure that we can do what we can to protect the lives of our people. [the] The priority is to ensure that these children are safely back in their families and back to school, ”Masari said.
Caroline Patterson of CNN contributed to this report.
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