Headlines
Kankara Schoolboys Are Alive in Zamfara Forest, Says Masari
Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State said on Wednesday that the kidnapped students of Government Secondary School, Kankara were alive and currently in a forest in Zamfara State.
Masari, who made this remark in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, said, “They (kidnapped schoolboys) are in Zamfara forests, we have got the information.”
Also speaking during an interview with Channels Television, the governor said efforts were on to ensure that the students returned home safely, adding that discussions were on with the suspected abductors through Miyetti Allah, to ensure the students’ release.
He denied the claim by Boko Haram that it was behind the abduction, insisting local bandits roaming Katsina and Zamfara forests were responsible for it (the abduction).
He said, “It is not true that two students died. I was in school on Saturday and interacted with some of the students who escaped. They did not say any student died.
“I also interacted with the two students who also escaped later; they did not tell me any of the abducted students died or were killed. The news of the death was speculative. The number of students we have yet to account for is 334, although some students have gone to their parents directly.
“We are discussing through the leadership of MACABAN, Miyetti Allah, with those suspected to have carried out the abduction, and I had a meeting with the Commissioner of Police and heads of security agencies two or three hours ago.”
The governor pointed out that his administration would not pay ransom for the release of the students.
Reacting to the abduction of 333 students, Arewa socio-cultural organisation under the aegis of the Coalition of Northern Groups said it would on Thursday storm Katsina State to kick off agitation for the freedom of 333 students of Government Science Secondary School in Kankara, Katsina State, abducted by Boko Haram insurgents.
The protesters, who are to be led by the chairman, Board of Trustees of CNG, Nastura Ashir Shariff, will join other members from Jigawa, Kano and Katsina states to compel government to act fast.
The spokesperson for the CNG, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said these in a statement on Wednesday titled, ‘CNG storms Katsina, to kick off #Bringbackourboys protests Thursday’.
But residents of the state on Wednesday opposed the planned protest, saying efforts should be concentrated on how to rescue the students.
The CNG spokesman, in his statement, said, “The exercise, harsh tagged #Bringbackourboys, which will kick off in Katsina on Thursday, is expected to proceed to Daura to register the current concerns with Mr President.
“Led by its Board of Trustees Chairman Nastura Ashir Shariff, the CNG is already in touch with parents of the stolen schoolchildren and assured them of support through this trial moment.
“It will be unreasonable to expect any northerner and well meaning Nigerians to fold their arms and watch the North, a significant component of the country, abandoned to the mercy of bandits, murderers and kidnappers.
“The police in Katsina are seen in a massive reinforcement around the state which calls for caution on the part of authorities against attempts at suppressing legitimate protests that will be conducted peacefully.”
The Punch
The first hostages freed from Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement are back in Israel. The news sparked jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv where large crowds gathered ahead of their release.
The three freed Israeli hostages – the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks – are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. They are said to be in good health and are receiving treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv.
In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released by Israel from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military withdrew from several locations in southern and northern Gaza after the truce began earlier on Sunday, an Israeli military official told CNN.
Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much-needed supplies have crossed into Gaza. Here’s what we know about how the ceasefire deal will work.
Hamas, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself, and a failure for Israel.
One of Hamas’ main goals for taking some 250 people during its brazen October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. As Israel pounded Gaza in response, Hamas vowed not to return the hostages until Israel withdrew its forces from the enclave, permanently ended the war, and allowed for rebuilding.
Source: CNN
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she doesn’t want Britain to be like Nigeria that is plagued by “terrible governments.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch expressed fears that Britain may become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.
“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here.”
Badenoch has been in the news of late after she dissociated herself from Nigeria, saying she has nothing to do with the Islamic northern region.
She also accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens instead of protecting them.
She said: “My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”
