Position of abducted Kankara students ‘located’, says Presidency

Katsina state governor Aminu Masari says “security agencies had located the position of the children”, presidential spokesman Garba Shehu, referring to the hundreds of children who went missing after gunmen stormed a secondary school in Kankara, Katsina on Friday night.

Masari briefed President Muhammadu Buhari on the fate of students abducted from Kankara, and assured “steady progress to bring them out unharmed,” according to Shehu.

On Sunday, the spokesman spoke in the wake of briefing update, saying the military, with air support, had located the enclave of the bandits in Kankara and had exchanged fire in “ongoing operations”.

President Muhammadu Buhari Monday in Daura, Katsina State, received more briefing on children kidnapped from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, with an assurance from Governor Aminu Bello Masari of steady progress to bring them out unharmed. pic.twitter.com/twGJN646oJ

— Garba Shehu (@GarShehu) December 14, 2020

Garba posted a photo of both Gov Masari in conversation with President Buhari, who is visiting his home state of Katsina, where the incident happened.

Many students are still missing after gunmen on Friday night stormed the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara.

Masari had said up to 338 children remain unaccounted for.

“The Governor said the President was fully committed to the rescue of the school children, adding that it was only appropriate to visit the President and give him more details of rescue efforts,” Shehu said in a tweet on Monday.

“Some of the returning students debriefed by the military disclosed that 10 of their colleagues were taken by the bandits. As I said to the BBC, that still needed to be verified.

“Of course this is different from saying that all the others had been been accounted for. The forests and neighboring villages are being searched and parents are being contacted for information about their children.”