Nigerian official says over 300 abducted schoolboys freed
Freed Nigerian schoolboys welcomed after week of captivity
Katsina, Dec 18: More than 300 schoolboys kidnapped last week in an attack on their school in northwest Nigeria have arrived in the capital of Katsina state in celebration of their release.
The boys were abducted one week ago from the all-boys Government Science Secondary School in Kankara in Katsina state village.
Nigeria's Boko Haram jihadist rebels claimed responsibility for the abduction, saying they attacked the school because it believes Western education is un-Islamic, factional leader Abubakar Shekau said in a video earlier this week.
More than 800 students were at the school at the time of the attack. Hundreds escaped, but it was believed that more than 330 were abducted by the attackers.
The boys met Friday with Katsina Governor Aminu Bello Masari, who said late Thursday that the kidnappers had released 344 students and turned them over to security officials. The government had said it was negotiating with the attackers. The governor told The Associated Press that no money was paid for the boys' release, though it wasn't clear if other negotiations were made.
The boys will have physical examinations before being reunited with their families, he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Fire breaks out in residential building in east Delhi, nine killed
New Delhi (PTI): At least nine people were killed after a fire broke out in a residential building in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar early Sunday, officials said.
The incident was reported around 3.48 am at a four-storey building in Vivek Vihar Phase-I, following which police, fire and disaster management teams rushed to the spot.
According to the police, the blaze engulfed flats on the second, third and fourth floors of the building, prompting a large-scale rescue operation.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
"Around 10 to 15 people were rescued from the premises during the firefighting operation. Two of them, who sustained minor injuries, were shifted to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital," a senior police officer said.
A total of 12 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, while teams from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), traffic police and local police assisted in the rescue and evacuation efforts.
Police said the fire was brought under control after several hours.
The identities of the deceased are yet to be ascertained, and efforts are underway to determine the cause of the fire, police said.
Further investigation and proceedings are underway.
