Boko Haram members

Richard Elesho

About three days after the abduction of hundreds of boys of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, in Katsina State the Boko Haram terrorist group has admitted responsibility for the heinous act.

The boys’ crime is the pursuit of western education which the terrorists claimed is not in line with Islamic religion.

The fresh information is in a 4:30 audio message first published by HumAngle and said to be addressed by leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau. He explained that his group abducted the schoolboys because Western education is against the tenets of Islam.

“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.

“They are also not teaching what Allah and his Holy Prophet commanded. They are rather destructing the Islam. It may be subtly, but Allah the Lord of the Skies and Earths knows whatever is hidden. May Allah promote Islam, may we die as Muslims.”

“In a nutshell, we are behind what happened in Katsina,” he said.

The terrorists’ leader ended the message by saying: “The speaker is Abubakar Shekau, leader of Jama’atu Ahlussunna Lid-Da’awati wal Jihad.”

Mr Shekau neither gave detail of the attack nor number of the abducted schoolboys nor mentioned issue of negotiation with government.

It would be recalled that the exact number of the boys have not been ascertained. The federal government claimed 10 boys were involved. Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State said 333 boys could not be accounted for. Daily Trust reports more than 600 boys were abducted based on a school register.