By Valentine Amanze, Online Editor
It has been revealed that the bandits, who kidnapped over 333 schoolboys of the Government Science Secondary School, Ƙankara in Katsina at the weekend were on a revenge mission.
A source, who is also a resident of Kankara, disclosed that the bandits were retaliating the attack by the vigilante group, who attacked their hideouts after they had on Wednesday raided ‘Yar-Kuka village, killed many people and carted away cash, food items and others.
The source said, “There is something people are yet to know; before the recent abduction of Ƙankara Secondary School students, the bandits had on Wednesday attacked ‘Yar-Kuka village and killed 12 people and abducted an unspecified number of people in the village.
“On Thursday, vigilante group mobilised and went after the bandits in their hideouts and engaged in burning down the Fulani houses, injuring and killing some of them.”
He explained that as a result, the bandits struck on Friday night.
The source further disclosed that the bandits stormed the school and started shooting sporadically in the air, causing commotion and stampede before scaling over the fence and burgling the gate.
According to him, the bandits gathered the students in a place and shepherded them to Pauwa village where they had parked their motorcycles.
The abduction of the schoolboys came at a time when President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria travelled to his hometown in Daura, Katsina State on a private visit.
The president has condemned the abduction of the students and directed the reinforcement of security of all schools in line with the safe school policy of his administration.
In a statement on Saturday, the Presidency said that the military had located the bandits’ location and were in the process of retrieving the abducted students.
The Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi, had also given an assurance that the boys would be rescued in some few hours when he led a delegation of the Federal Government, including the service chiefs to the state.
Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State confirmed that at least 333 students were missing, and almost a day since the minister made the promise, the schoolboys had yet to return.
Meanwhile, the concerned women and parents of the kidnapped schoolboys, who gathered to protest yesterday were teargassed by law enforcement agents.
