How I escaped from gunmen – abducted Kankara student

One of the students abducted from GSSS Kankara by unknown gunmen has said that he escaped from the bandits by crawling after they were dragged into the bush with his colleagues. The escaped student, whose father did not want his name published spoke to BBC Hausa service on Monday. Katsina Abduction: 668 Students Still Missing […]

One of the students abducted from GSSS Kankara by unknown gunmen has said that he escaped from the bandits by crawling after they were dragged into the bush with his colleagues.

The escaped student, whose father did not want his name published spoke to BBC Hausa service on Monday.

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The 17-year-old student said they first began to hear gunshots and later ran to rescue themselves but the bandits were already after them.

“It was on Friday night around 9:30 pm after we came back from our classes for night reading when we heard gunshots. Initially, we thought it was not in our school but later, we began to see them coming towards us. We then began to run and crossed the school fence but they used torch lights on us asking us to come back.

“We thought they were security personnel, but later when they gathered us at one place, we realised they were gunmen”.

He said many of them were abducted but were later counted by the bandits, adding that they were beaten and dragged to the bush amidst thorns and other things.

520 pupils counted

“After they have gone to the bush with us they asked one of us to count us and there were 520 pupils.

“Because it was in the night I didn’t know where they are taking us to. They beat us and we spent almost the whole night trekking inside the bush despite the thorns. It was around 30 minutes to the morning when they asked us to sleep,” he added.

‘I crawled out’

On how he escaped from the bandits, the student said only God knows how it happened and that he was lucky to hide behind a tree and later crawled out of the bush.

“When they asked us to sit down I was then lucky to escape and hide behind a tree. After they move with my colleagues I then started crawling to the main road and to the nearby town.

“From then I moved on, I cannot see anything again. I didn’t know where they took my colleagues to. They just moved inside the bush with them.”