A civil society group is protesting in northern Katsina state to call on authorities to release the hundreds of young boys kidnapped from their schools last Friday.
AFP
Oyesoji Aremu, why is the Boko Aram group kidnapping schoolchildren?
In a video, Boko Haram chief Abubakar Shekau claimed responsibility for thekidnapping boys. He said the action was aimed at reaffirming the group’s hatred against Western education. The name of the group itself, Boko Haram, means: “Western education is prohibited.” The reason is therefore above all ideological. These kidnappings also sow disorder and can have an impact on the education of children (note: schools are closed in several states in the north of the country due to insecurity). Finally, they allow this sect, already well established in the northeast of the country, to extend its influence in other regions, further west. In recent months, there has been an increase in kidnappings committed by Boko Haram and by criminal groups in the north and other parts of the country.
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