Katsina State governor, Aminu Bello Masari, said yesterday that the abducted school- children from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, were in a forest in Zamfara State.
According to the governor, majority of the students are in the forest in Zamfara State, ad- ding that efforts were ongoing to rescue them.
“Majority of the students are in the fo-rest in Zamfara. Efforts are on for their rescue,” Masari said.
The governor, while speaking on a foreign radio programme, also said two of the kid- naped students have been killed by their abductors.
A parent, Faiza Kankara, whose son is among the kidnapped schoolboys, said one of the students that escaped from the attackers said the kidnappers have killed two of the students.
Kankara also said the student told them that while in captivity, they were made to go through inhuman experiences, including being flogged like animals and fed with wild flora.
The governor further said 17 of the stu- dents had been found and reunited with their parents.
Masari said, “As at today (Monday), infor- mation available to me shows that 17 of the missing children have been found. 15 of them were found around Dinya in Danmusa.
“I was informed by the DPO. One other student was found through them and the last, the father called that his son has returned home.
“All these missing children found have been reunited with their families since we have shut down their schools”.
At least 333 students are said to be still Masari missing since the attack late Friday night on the all-boys Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina State.
The attack was initially blamed on ban- dits who are active in the North-West region where kidnapping for ransom is now common, though Boko Haram terrorist group in an audio message days later said that it was responsible for the kidnap.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Army said on Monday that it had located the hideout of the assailants, and that a military operation was underway.
More than 100 gunmen on motorcycles were said to have stormed the school, forcing students to flee and hide in the surrounding bush.