Gunmen who abducted around 300 schoolchildren from a secondary school in Nigeria’s northwest region last week have been “surrounded” by government troops, according to the presidency.
Senior special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari, Garba Shehu said on Sunday that “only ten children were remaining in the hands of the gunmen.”
His report contradicts claims by Katsina State Governor, Bello Masari, who said that 333 children were still missing on Sunday and this may increase as parents continue to look for their children.
Unknown assailants on motorbikes stormed an all-boys school in the city of Kankara in Nigeria’s northwest Katsina State on Friday evening.
The kidnappers fled into a nearby forest that stretches across six nearby states after exchanging fire with security forces, eyewitnesses said.
It is not yet known who is responsible for the attack, However, analysts say there is a possibility that Boko Haram is to blame.
Bulama Bukarti, from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change says Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, has been trying to establish operations in the region west of Katsina State.
Several hundred fighters in Zamfara State recently claimed to be operating a Boko Haram cell that is loyal to Mr Shekau.
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