INSIDER
Nigerian parents excited by return of 2 abducted schoolgirls
Read full article: Nigerian parents excited by return of 2 abducted schoolgirlsSeven years after Boko Haram extremists abducted more than 270 schoolgirls in northeast Nigeria, two of the more than 100 still being held by the rebels returned this month, renewing the hope of parents who have all but given up on the long wait for the return of their children.
Kidnappings in north Nigeria highlight deepening insecurity
Read full article: Kidnappings in north Nigeria highlight deepening insecurityUsman Garuba, one of the freed boys, described the horror of their six days walking through the forest and being beaten. Boko Haram, Nigeria's jihadist rebels, claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, but the government later said the abduction was carried out by bandit groups rampant in the northwest. Nigeriaโs military and police forces, with the backing of local self-defense groups, are outgunned, outnumbered, underfunded and underpaid, he said. More than 800 security forces were killed in 2019, one of the deadliest years since Boko Haramโs establishment more than 10 years ago. It is really disturbing.โ___AP journalists Lekan Oyekanmi in Katsina, Nigeria, and Sam Olukoya in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed.
Freed Nigerian schoolboys welcomed; calls for more security
Read full article: Freed Nigerian schoolboys welcomed; calls for more securityA family member of a freed schoolboy cries as she waits for a reunion with her son in Katsina Nigeria Friday Dec. 18, 2020. This time, the government deployed forces quickly after the boysโ kidnapping and the abductors rapidly found themselves surrounded, Bukarti said. Later, Boko Haram made claims that they had penetrated parts of the northwest. Boko Haram may well extend their reach into the northwest, he said, adding that they also got publicity. โThis was a major propaganda point and thatโs what Boko Haram and terrorist groups survive on,โ he said.
Nigerian official: More than 300 abducted schoolboys freed
Read full article: Nigerian official: More than 300 abducted schoolboys freedShoes of the kidnapped students from Government Science Secondary School are seen inside their class room Kankara, Nigeria, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)KANKARA โ More than 300 schoolboys abducted last week by armed men in northwest Nigeria have been released, a government official said Thursday. For more than 10 years, Boko Haram has engaged in a bloody campaign to introduce strict Islamic rule in Nigeriaโs north. The video circulated widely on WhatsApp and first appeared on a Nigerian news site, HumAngle, that often reports on Boko Haram. In April 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped more than 270 schoolgirls from a government boarding school in Chibok in northeastern Borno state.
Nigerians anxious after 330 boys kidnapped by extremists
Read full article: Nigerians anxious after 330 boys kidnapped by extremistsAnxiety has overwhelmed many parents in Nigeriaโs northern Kankara village who await word on their sons who are among the more than 330 kidnapped by extremists from a government boysโ school last week. Nigeriaโs Boko Haram jihadist rebels have claimed responsibility for the abduction of the students from the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara. Across Nigeria, people are closely following the fate of the kidnapped boys and many criticize the government for the continuing extremist violence. For more than 10 years, Boko Haram has engaged in a bloody campaign to introduce strict Islamic rule. In February 2014, 59 boys were killed when Boko Haram attacked the Federal Government College, Buni Yadi in Yobe State.
Boko Haram claims kidnapping of Nigeria students in north
Read full article: Boko Haram claims kidnapping of Nigeria students in northPeople inside the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara, Nigeria, Saturday Dec. 12, 2020. Nigerian police say that hundreds of students are missing after gunmen attacked the secondary school in the countrys northwestern Katsina state. It was originally believed that the attackers were bandits, who sometimes work with Boko Haram. Boko Haram said at the time that it wanted to stop women from attending schools. Boko Haram and the breakaway faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province, are fighting to impose strict Islamic Shariah rule in Nigeria.