Return of Kankara boys raises questions about who took them

The eventual release of students abducted from their school in Kankara has raised more questions for political watchers about who actually took the students.

One of the freed schoolboys seen in a video purportedly released by Boko Haram said he was “convinced” by his kidnappers to speak in the video, the Punch reported.

He was told to say their holders were Boko Haram.

In the video, the boy is seen relaying words ostensibly pointed out to him into the camera.

He said their kidnappers demanded closure of all vigilante groups and schools expect Islamiyyah.

He, pictured below, also in the video said troops should not bother looking for them because the gang holding the boys could not be overpowered.

Shortly after their return on Friday, he recounted his six-day ordeal—and 343 other boys—with their abductors.

“I don’t know who they are but they said I should say they are Boko Haram —gang of Abu Shekau,” the student said at the Katsina State Government House on Friday shortly after Governor Aminu Masari received the 344 abducted schoolboys.

Gunmen had invaded the school premises last Friday and abducted over 300 students after a gun duel with the police.

The abduction took place some hours after President Muhammadu Buhari arrived in Daura, Katsina for a week-long visit.

Leader of a Boko Haram faction, Abubakar Shekau, later released video footage in which he claimed responsibility, saying the abduction was to promote Islam.

But speaking on Friday after his release, the teenager who featured in a video purportedly released by Boko Haram on Thursday, said from “what I experienced, they (his captors), are not Boko Haram”.

“Sincerely speaking, the gang of armed robbers was very scared of what was happening from the jets. They assigned me to speak directly from the video to tell the government to stop sending the army and jets, if not they were going to kill us,” he said on TV.

Analysts have also questioned the authenticity of the Boko Haram “responsibility” video, pointing to differences in the voice pattern, Shekau’s introduction and a number of subtleties that might point to the speaker being an impostor.

“We suffered a lot physically, they beat us morning and night. They only gave us food once in a day and water twice in a day.