Bashir Ahmad, Personal Assistant on New Media to the President, Maj-Gen Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has said a ‘significant’ number of the abducted students of Government Science School, Kankara, in Katsina State, have been rescued.
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Ahmad, who made this known on Twitter last night, however, did not give a specific figure of the freed students.
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“A significant number of the students have been rescued. Praying for the immediate safe return of the rest,” @BashirAhmaad wrote.
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The President’s aide also said the Katsina State Government would issue a formal statement on the development. “I am sure the Katsina State Government will issue a statement in that regard,” he stated.
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However, as of the time of filing this report at 09:30am on Monday, the state government was yet to issue any statement.
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The PUNCH had earlier reported that the state governor, Aminu Masari, told a Federal Government delegation on a sympathy visit on Sunday that at least 333 schoolboys are still missing.
“The school has a population of 839 and so far, we are yet to account for 333 students. We are still counting because more are still coming out of the forest,” the governor said.
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“Up till this moment, no one can give a precise figure of the children abducted,” he stated, adding that students who escaped confirmed some of their peers were taken.
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Bandits had stormed the school on Friday night and abducted the students after a gun duel with the police. The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), had arrived in the state on Friday, hours before the abduction took place.
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Buhari condemned the abduction of the schoolboys in a statement by the Presidency on Saturday but many Nigerians expect more including a presidential visit to the school.
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Global rights group, Amnesty International, has also condemned the abduction of the schoolboys while calling on the Buhari regime to ensure their speedy release.
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