‘They threatened to slaughter us’: Escaped Nigerian schoolboys relive mass kidnapping
No one knows exactly how many children were abducted but suddenly 344 of the abducted boys were released on Thursday
19 December 2020 • 5:24pm
A father is reunited with his son in Katsina Nigeria Friday Dec. 18, 2020.
Credit: Sunday Alamba
/AP
Rayyanu had just finished studying and was settling down for the night at his boarding school in northwestern Nigeria when he heard the gunshots.
“At first we thought they were going into town. Then we realised they had invaded our school. Almost 10 of them came [into the room] with guns and told us to go outside.”
Nigeria Says 344 Kidnapped Students Have Been Released
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Huge relief as Boko Haram releases 344 abducted boys
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Unclear why the government was able to secure their release and how many are still in captivity
18 December 2020 • 2:24pm
Rescued Nigerian school boys sit together at the Government house in Katsina, Nigeria, December 18, 2020.
Credit: REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde/ REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde
There was joy and relief in Nigeria on Friday after hundreds of schoolboys believed to have been abducted by bandits working for the terrorist group Boko Haram were released.
In a video posted on social media the boys could be seen cheering together in the back of a truck after they had just been freed on Thursday, while photos showed some waving out of a bus window at passersby.
World Nigerian Boys Taken in Kidnapping Claimed by Boko Haram Are Freed
More than 300 schoolboys kidnapped in northern Nigeria have been handed over to security agencies, says Katsina governor More than 300 schoolboys were received by government officials in Nigeria after being released by their captors. Jihadist group Boko Haram had claimed responsibility for kidnapping them a week ago. Photo: Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition
By Updated Dec. 17, 2020 8:07 pm ET
More than 300 schoolboys kidnapped by gunmen from their boarding school in northwest Nigeria last week were handed over to security agencies late Thursday, Nigeria’s government said, prompting outpourings of relief and joy across Africa’s most populous nation after fears they would become long-term hostages of jihadist militants.