Kaduna Teacher Narrates How Bandits Abducted 287 Students, Principal In Broad Daylight
In a shocking display of audacity, a group of bandits orchestrated a brazen daylight attack, resulting in the abduction of 287 students and the school principal, Abubakar Isah, from both a primary and secondary school situated in Kuriga, within the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
This unsettling incident transpired on Thursday, March 8, 2024, unfolding at 7: 47 am when the assailants encircled the educational institution. With an enrollment of approximately 700 Individuals, Including teachers and students, the bandits coerced them into the nearby wilderness.
Sani Abdullahi, a fortunate teacher who managed to evade capture, recounted the harrowing invasion, detailing how the bandits seized control of the school premises and directed everyone into the forest.
Amidst the chaos, Abdullahi and several others seized the opportunity to flee, eventually returning to the village to alert the community of the distressing events.
According to his report, the secondary school accounted for 187 missing students, while the primary school saw 100 pupils unaccounted for, amplifying the gravity of the situation.
The bandits also attacked the vigilante group that tried to pursue them, killing one of them. The vigilante group was supported by the personnel of the Kaduna Vigilance Service (KADVIS), but they could not catch up with the bandits who had motorcycles.
The Governor of Kaduna State, Sani Uba, visited the school and the community and assured them that the government was making efforts to rescue the children. He said he had spoken with the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, and that the security forces had swung into action.
The abduction of students from schools in northern Nigeria has become a common and disturbing phenomenon in recent years, as armed groups often target them for ransom or ideological reasons
Since 2014, when Boko Haram kidnapped over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, more than 1, 000 students have been abducted in various attacks across the region.
Some of them have been released after negotiations or military operations, while others are still in captivity or have been killed.
The latest attack in Kaduna State has sparked outrage and condemnation from
various quarters, including civil society groups, religious leaders, and human rights activists. They have called on the government to do more to protect the lives and education of the children and to end the insecurity in the country.
(Politics Nigeria)
