Kankara Abduction: Boko Haram Releases Video Showing Seized Schoolboys (Watch)

The Abubakar Shekau-led faction of Boko Haram has released a video depicting that it has custody of the students abducted from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State, last Friday.

AllNews reports that the release also substantiates that the students are still alive.

The video is six minutes and 30 seconds long and features speeches from someone believed to be Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, and one of the kidnapped schoolboys who looked devastated.

Many other young boys could be seen behind him, all covered in dust and appearing to be within a forest area.

READ ALSO: Abduction Of Schoolboys Not By Boko Haram - Katsina Gov

The relatively older student who spoke, in both English and Hausa languages, urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to settle amicably with their abductors and advised against the use of military force in rescuing them.

"Please, you have to dissolve any gang of vigilantes, close any kind of schools, excluding Islamiyyah [Qur'anic schools].

"All the troops who have come here to help us, please send them back," one of the abducted schoolboys pleaded in the released video.

Bokoharam releases video of the kidnapped school boys pic.twitter.com/tZTU1UErTm

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It would be recalled that the Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari a few days ago affirmed that three hundred and thirty-three students are missing.

The governor gave the figure when he received a Federal Government delegation led by the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno on Sunday.

Governor Masari who explained that the school has a population of 839 students said so far, those abducted cut across the state with the boarding school housing all children from all parts of the state and outside the state.

“Based on the available record we have, we are still searching for 333 students through either the forest or their parents to ascertain the actual number that has been kidnapped,” Governor Masari had said.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Masari said that the abducted students were not seized by Boko Haram insurgents but by 'local bandits'.

Masari's claim goes directly against that of supposed Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau who had in a video, allegedly claimed responsibility for the operation.