Attackers have assaulted a school in the north-western region of Nigeria and taken control of approximately 287 students. This is the second large-scale abduction in less than a week in the West African country.
Earlier reports stated that over 100 students were held captive during the attack. However, headteacher Sani Abdullahi informed Kaduna governor Uba Sani during a visit on Thursday that the actual number of missing individuals after a headcount was 287. The governor assured the community that every child will be safely returned and that they are cooperating with security forces.
The kidnapping of students from schools in northern Nigeria is frequent and has raised alarm since 2014, when over 200 schoolgirls were taken by Islamic extremists in Chibok village, located in Borno state. In more recent times, these abductions have been mainly happening in the north-western and central regions, where numerous armed groups often target villagers and travelers, demanding large sums of money as ransom.
According to Joshua Madami, a leader in the local youth community, a group of attackers raided a primary school in Kuriga, Chikun at 8am right after the morning assembly. They were able to hold nearly 200 students hostage with no assistance available at the time.
A government team and security officials arrived in the town a few hours after, expanding their search mission. Meanwhile, community members and parents gathered to await updates.
According to Musa, the council chairman, the government and security agencies are working tirelessly to find a way to rescue them.
Several days after a group of extremists abducted over 200 individuals, primarily women and children, in northeastern Nigeria, an attack took place.
Females, minors, and scholars are frequently singled out for mass kidnappings in the troubled northern area, and numerous captives are only freed upon payment of large ransoms.
Experts claim that the recent onslaughts serve as a testament to the deteriorating state of security in Nigeria. The situation reportedly claimed the lives of hundreds of individuals in 2023, according to an examination by the Associated Press.
Bola Tinubu was elected president of Nigeria last year after promising to end the violence. But there has been “no tangible improvement in security situation yet”, said Oluwole Ojewale, West and Central Africa researcher with the Africa-focused Institute for Security Studies.
Source: theguardian.com
