In a latest development, Boko Haram terrorists have claimed responsibility for the abduction of hundreds of schoolboys of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina State on Friday night.

In the wake of the attack, at least 600 out of over 800 schoolboys were declared missing.

Although the state governor, Aminu Masari, claimed only 333 are missing, a school register register seen by Daily Trust reporter showed 668 students missing. The governor had confirmed that his government was negotiating with the abductors of the missing students.

In a 4:30 audio message first published by HumAngle, the leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, said 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.