Boko Haram said it abducted Katsina pupils because they were being given un-Islamic education

ISLAMIC terrorist sect Boko Haram has revealed that it carried out the recent kidnapping of about 300 schoolboys in Katsina State last week saying it did so to prevent the spread of Western education across northern Nigeria.

Last Friday, armed bandits have stormed Government Science Secondary School in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State and abducted hundreds of students. Boko Haram, which abducted hundreds of schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State in 2014, has now admitted that it carried out the act.

Kankara is about 150km from the state capital, Katsina and according to local residents, the bandits stormed the school at 10.45pm on Friday, shooting sporadically for over an hour. At the moment, a headcount is ongoing at the school to ascertain the exact number of the missing students.

Yesterday, the Boko Haram leader Sheikh Abubakar Shekau, published a four minute Youtube video in which he claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. In the recording, he pointed out that the boys were kidnapped to promote Islam and discourage western education.

Sheikh Shekau said: “What happened in Katsina was done to promote Islam and discourage un-Islamic practices as Western education is not the type of education permitted by Allah and his Holy Prophet.  In a nutshell, we are behind what happened in Katsina.”

“The school is not teaching what Allah and his Holy Prophet commanded, they are rather destroying Islam. Allah the Lord of the skies and earth knows whatever is hidden. May Allah promote Islam. May we die as Muslims.”

Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has visited the school where he pleaded with the people to be patient and show restraint and understanding, assuring them that government would do every necessary thing to ensure the release of any abducted students. He said, the military, the police and the Department of State Security had swung into action and were on the trail of the bandits.