The schoolboys who were kidnapped from Government Science
Secondary School, Kankara, in Katsina State, Nigeria, by suspected bandits on
December 11, have given more insight into the developments that led to their
release by their captors.
Speaking to Wall Street Journal (WSJ), based in the United
States, some of the boys narrated how
they were thoroughly beaten by the bandits, adding that a ransom was paid to the kidnappers
before they were freed.
Their narration conflicted with that of the federal
government, which said no ransom was paid.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and
Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, on Tuesday,
said the rescue of the 344 schoolboys from their captors who took them
to a forest in Zamfara State, was
facilitated by repentant bandits.
He also reiterated an
earlier statement by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, that the federal government
didn’t buy freedom for the pupils.
However the WSJ, in a report on Wednesday, quoted three of
the 344 boys as saying in interviews that the kidnappers told them a ransom had
been paid for their release, while a person familiar with the kidnappers’ talks
with the government said a sizable sum had been paid for the boys’ freedom.
Eight of the freed students, boys as young as 13, the report
said, were forced to eat raw potatoes and bitter kalgo leaves to survive. They
were seldom allowed rest and slept on rocky ground.
Government officials denied paying ransom and said the
kidnappers released the schoolboys because the military had surrounded them.
According to WSJ however, three boys said their kidnappers
told them they were initially paid 30 million naira, equivalent to around
$76,000, but decided not to release the boys because they had demanded 344
million naira—1 per head.
“They threatened to release only 30 of us when the 30
million initial ransom was paid, said 16-year-old Yinusa Idris. They even took
30 of us away on motorcycles ready to release,” the news medium stated.
It quoted another of the abducted pupil, Imran Yakubu, a
17-year-old, as saying that the kidnappers told them: “One million naira must
be paid per each student…or we will recruit or kill you.”
The paper also noted that person familiar with the
negotiations said a ransom was transferred in three batches.
The boys were further told, according to the WSJ, on
December 16, that if they returned to school, they would be kidnapped again.
“There were more than 100 armed men in the school courtyard.
They were shining bright flashlights and streaming into the pastel-coloured
buildings. ‘Gather here. We are soldiers,’ they said.
WSJ added: “The gunmen, some on foot, others on motorcycles,
ordered the boys to walk in a long column, hitting anyone who walked too slowly
with a whip or rifle butt.
“At one point, when the guards were looking at the sky, two
students close to the back of the convoy tried to slip away. The hostages were
all told to halt so they could watch their classmates being punished.
“The older one’s hands were tied to a tree and he was
beaten. Water was poured on his body in the early morning so that he could feel
the freezing cold,” one of the students narrated.
However, the Nigerian military said that “ kinetic and
non-kinetic approaches were used to ensure all the boys were rescued unhurt”,
saying that there was resistance from the abductors who laid an ambush against
the troops.
The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, John Enenche, and
Ahmed Jibrin, former Director, Military Intelligence, who spoke when they
featured on an NTA programme, “Good Morning Nigeria”, insisted that no ransom
was paid.
“Following the directive, the troop closed in on the
abductors from four different fronts, including the reinforcement that was made
from other divisions to ensure that the entire location was sealed off.
“The bandits were all under siege and they were fully aware
of that, feeling the impacts of the presence of the troops both from the air
and on the ground,” said the military.
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