NASFAT begs Boko Haram to treat abducted Katsina schoolboys with compassion and love

The Chief Missioner of Nasru-Lahi-l-Fatih Society (NASFAT), Abdul-Azeez Onike has urged Boko Haram to be gentle with the abducted students in their custody.

The Chief Missioner said it through a statement on Wednesday. NASFAT also known as Nasrul-lahi-li Fathi Society of Nigeria is a Nigerian Muslim prayer group with focus on youth, women and the eltes. The group has over one million members in Nigeria.

Onike quoted a Qur’anic verse that is against banishing people from their homes. “My appeal to the abductors is to become the one from whom compassion and love flourish, and not the one who is enemy and tormentor of mankind,” he said.

“Islam abhors aggression in whatever form and forbids banishing people from their homes unjustly.

“Such acts have punishments prescribed for them under Islamic laws.

“Allah Almighty says, ‘After this it is ye, the same people, who slay among yourselves, and banish a party of you from their homes; assist (Their enemies) against them, in guilt and rancor [Quran 2: 85].”

Also quoting Hadiths, Mr. Onike said: “The Gracious God will have mercy on those who are merciful. Have mercy on those who are on earth, Allah in heavens will have mercy on you.

“He is not of us who does not have mercy on young children and does not recognise honour of the elderly.”

On Friday, unidentified gunmen stormed …. Secondary school and abducted over 500 students.

The factional leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau claimed responsibility for the attack on Tuesday.

The leader of Boko Haram, the Islamist extremist group that abducted hundreds of schoolgirls six years ago, in an audio tape said: “Our brothers were behind the abduction in Katsina.”

Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from their school dormitory in Chibok, in north-eastern Borno state, in April 2014 and about 100 are still missing.

Boko Haram, Founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002, the group has been led by Abubakar Shekau since 2009. When Boko Haram first formed, their actions were nonviolent.

Since the current insurgency started in 2009, Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands and displaced 2.3 million from their homes and was at one time the world’s deadliest terror group according to the Global Terrorism Index.