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A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 16 december 2020
Boko Haram claims abduction of students in northern Nigeria

By SAM OLUKOYA and height of it all. It is unac-
CARLEY PETESCH ceptable and the govern-
Associated Press ment has to do more" to
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Reb- protect students and resi-
els from the Boko Haram dents.
extremist group claimed re- The attack was a major set-
sponsibility Tuesday for ab- back for education in Kat-
ducting hundreds of boys sina, which was beginning
from a school in Nigeria's to make progress in enroll-
northern Katsina State last ment, he said, adding: "Our
week in one of the largest people will be discouraged
such attacks in years, rais- in sending their kids to
ing fears of a growing wave school."
of violence in the region. Kankara villager Lawal Mu-
More than 330 students re- hammed said the attack
main missing from the Gov- left most residents terrified
ernment Science Second- and traumatized.
ary School in Kankara after "We have never experi-
gunmen with assault rifles enced this kind of thing be-
attacked their school Fri- fore," he said.
day night, although scores "We want the government
of others managed to es- to do more in protecting
cape. our children, especially
The government and the now that schools would
attackers are negotiating be resuming after the CO-
the fate of the boys, ac- VID-19 break."
cording to Garba Shehu, The abductions also come
a spokesman for Nigerian as Boko Haram and the Ni-
President Muhammadu Bu- gerian military may be in-
hari. vestigated for war crimes
"The kidnappers had made Parents of the missing Government Science secondary school students wait for news on their in the rebels' insurgency,
contact and discussions children in Kankara , Nigeria, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. which has lasted more than
were already on, pertain- Associated Press a decade.
ing to the safety and re- The International Criminal
turn" of the children to their Court's chief prosecutor
homes, said Shehu on Twit- Shekau said his group ab- Nigeria's police, air force worrisome," Obasi told The last week said a probe has
ter during talks with Katsina ducted the schoolboys be- and army after the military Associated Press. found enough evidence to
Gov. Aminu Masari. Neither cause Western education is engaged in gunfights with The local armed groups merit opening a full-scale
official said whether the against the tenets of Islam. bandits after locating their have no religious ideology, inquiry into allegations of
negotiations are with Boko More than 600 students hideout in the Zango/Paula however, and Obasi said war crimes and crimes
Haram or another group. attend the school. Many forest. Boko Haram's movement against humanity by Boko
Masari said security agen- were able to escape dur- If Boko Haram is proven to into the northwest would Haram extremists as well as
cies "deployed for rescue ing a gunfight between the be behind the abduction, create "a risk of conver- into charges that Nigerian
operations have also in- attackers and the police, it could mean a new wave gence between criminal government forces have
formed us that they have according to state police of religious extremism is on groups and jihadist groups. also perpetrated abuses.
located their position." spokesman Gambo Isah. the rise in Nigeria. For more The trajectories are very dis- Prosecutor Fatou Bensou-
The Daily Nigerian said it re- Students corroborated this than 10 years, the group turbing." da said there is a "reason-
ceived an audio message account with various news has engaged in a bloody Because the northwest is able basis to believe" Boko
from Boko Haram leader agencies, saying many of campaign for introduc- more homogeneously Is- Haram and splinter groups
Abubakar Shekau claiming them were also rounded ing strict Islamic rule, but it lam than the northeast, linked to it committed
the abduction, although up and forced to walk to a has been mainly active in there are more potential crimes including murder,
there has been no inde- nearby forest, where some northeast Nigeria, not in the recruits for radicalism. rape, sexual slavery and
pendent verification of its were also able to flee. northwest, where Katsina Friday's abduction has be- torture, as well as intention-
authenticity. Several armed groups op- State is located. come a rallying cry for Ni- ally targeting schools and
The Islamic extremist group erate in northern Nigeria, Thousands have been gerians fed up with grow- places of worship and us-
has carried out mass ab- where Katsina State is lo- killed and more than a mil- ing violence, with #Bring- ing child soldiers.
duction of students before. cated. It was originally lion people displaced by BackOurBoys trending on While a vast majority of the
The most serious took place believed that the attack- the violence. Twitter as people express criminality in the conflict
in April 2014, when more ers were bandits, who Nnamdi Obasi of the Inter- their frustrations. has been carried out by
than 270 schoolgirls were sometimes work with Boko national Crisis Group said a A similar #BringBackOur- Boko Haram, prosecutors
taken from their dormitory Haram. shift of Boko Haram's activi- Girls became an interna- also found grounds to be-
at the Government Sec- Bandits have operated in ties to the northwest would tional rallying cry for the lieve members of Nigeria's
ondary School in Chibok in the northwest region for have serious security impli- Chibok girls. security forces had com-
northeastern Borno State. some time, and kidnap- cations because it could "Before now, it has been mitted crimes, she said.
About 100 of the girls are pings have increased in partner with other armed bandits and kidnappers ter- Amnesty International last
still missing. recent years. Amnesty In- criminal groups known to rorizing our state, but little week released a report
In February 2014, 59 boys ternational says that more carry out attacks and col- has been done to address saying at least 10,000 civil-
were killed during a Boko than 1,100 people were lect payments from house- the situation," said Mallam ians have died in Nigerian
Haram attack on the Fed- killed in the first six months holds and markets. Saidu Funtua, a member of military custody since 2011
eral Government College of 2020 in violence related "They are Iike mini-armies a local civil society organi- after being detained in
Buni Yadi in Yobe State. to attacks by bandits. that are able to carry out zation in Katsina State. connection with the Boko
In the audio message A joint rescue operation operations in defiance of He added that "the abduc- Haram insurgency in north-
about Friday's attack, was launched Saturday by the security forces, and it is tion of students was the ern Nigeria.q