President Buhari addressing the released Kankara boys
One of the released students of Government Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina state has described their abductors as “small, small boys with big guns.”
The student who spoke on behalf of the students in an earlier viral video told Arise News in an interview after their release and arrival at Government House that they suffered in the hands of their captors who had to beat them every day for the six days they were in the bush with them.
He said their kidnappers told him what to say in the video, stressing that they were the ones who asked him to tell Nigerian government not to intervene with the military.
According to him, they suffered in the hands of their captors both physically and emotionally.
Meantime, the Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF) has applauded the Federal Government, Katsina state government and the security agencies over the release of the abducted students. The chairman of the forum and governor of Plateau, Mr Simon Lalong, made the commendation in a statement on Friday in Jos.
According to Lalong, the release of the students would comfort their parents and further build the confidence of Nigerians on government’s fight against insecurity.
“The NGF has welcomed with excitement the release of the abducted students of Government Science School Kankara, Katsina State.
“We commend President Muhammadu Buhari, Gov. Aminu Masari, security agencies, community leaders and all stakeholders who contributed in making sure the school boys were released unharmed.
“The release of the students will comfort and assuage the parents and the entire country which has been agonised by ugly incident,” he said.
Lalong urged for more measures to ensure that the ugly incident would not occur again and called for thorough investigation to unravel those behind this condemnable act and be made to face justice.
The chairman urged security agencies to conduct a full investigation to the allegations made by the Acting Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Yekini Nabena, insisting that the forum has no tolerance for such conduct from any of its members.
Nabena had alleged that intelligence report revealed that a governor from the northern part of the country is behind the myriad of banditry, kidnapping and other forms of insecurity in the region
Lalong assured the public that the forum would continue to work with the federal government and security agencies to bring to an end all forms of insecurity and criminal activities in the region and the nation as a whole.
By Aliu Momodu with Agency Report.
