A student of the attacked Government Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina State, who escaped from the bandits’ hideouts, has claimed that two of his colleagues have been killed.
KanyiDaily had reported how dozens of GSS boarding students were abducted by bandits on Friday night, December 11, 2020, less than 24 hours after President Muhammadu Buhari arrived Katsina for a week long private visit.
BBC Hausa Service, in a bulletin on Sunday, quoted a presidential aide, Garba Shehu, saying only ten school boys were abducted by the bandits.
However, while speaking with Vanguard, a parent of a missing pupil, Hajia Faiza Hamza Kankara, said a survivor of the attack told them that the abducted pupils still missing stand at over 500, saying whoever said the number of missing children is 10, is a liar.
The grieving mother quoted the student who was giving an account of his ordeal in the hands of the captors, saying that the bandits fed them with leaves and beat them like cattle.
“My son, Usman Lawal Tahir, is in SS2 class. He is still missing. One of the pupils who returned yesterday (Sunday night) said they were 520 that included two that were killed and him who escaped.
“So whoever says the missing children were ten lied. Today (Monday), another child just returned, and he is being interviewed in the principal’s office. So we are waiting to hear what is the situation with the missing children over there.
“Although when the boy returned, one of the security personnel who brought him back said 15 more were on their way before the dusk. The children said they were fed with leaves and beaten like cattle.
“We appeal to President (Muhammadu) Buhari and Governor (Aminu) Masari to come to our aid and rescue our wards. We cannot sleep and cannot eat.”
Meanwhile, the grieving parents of the students have besieged the school premises, awaiting the return of their missing children.
KanyiDaily recalls that on Sunday, Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, confirmed that 333 of the 839 pupils of the school are still missing after the invasion.
