Nigerian authorities have reported that armed men have kidnapped a-yet to be confirmed number of students from the Government Science College at Kagaral, in central Nigeria’s Niger state.
The secretary to the Niger State government, Ibrahim Matane, told reporters that armed men had attacked the secondary school about 260km (160 miles) northwest of the Nigerian capital Abuja dressed in military uniforms and masks. They stormed the school hostels after overpowering the security guards to take away children. Some of the children escaped during the incident.
A former Senator, Shehu Sani also tweeted about the abduction, saying family members of the school staff were also taken by the bandits during the attack.
“Early hours of this morning, armed bandits stormed the Government Science College Kagara Niger State, my Alma Mata, and abducted some students and staff family members. I just spoke to the principal”.
Shehu Sani
The Governor of Niger State, Abubakar Sani Bello, has ordered the immediate closure of all boarding schools in the “bandit ravaged areas of the state”. After a brief meeting with the heads of security agencies in the state at the Government House, the Governor said the action is necessary to save the lives of the students as the areas have already been taking over by bandits.
Mr Bello also called on the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to deploy all necessary mechanisms to help contain the situation as it is now out of hand.
The Government Science College has a student body of about a thousand. Reports indicate that school authorities have begun a headcount to determine the exact number of missing children.
No group has claimed responsibility for the abductions. The incident comes hours after bandits released a video of more than 20 people abducted from a commercial bus near Zungeru town in Niger state.
In December, the Boko Haram armed group claimed responsibility for the abduction of hundreds of students from an all-boys school in the north-western state of Katsina. The over 300 boys were released after a few days in captivity.
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Boko Haram and its splinter faction, the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), have for more than a decade waged a violent armed campaign in the northeast of Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden” in the Hausa language, abducted hundreds of schoolgirls in the town of Chibok, in the northeastern state of Borno, drawing global condemnation in 2014. Some of the girls managed to escape from captivity, while others were either rescued or freed. The fate of more than 100 girls is still unknown.
The news of another abduction is expected to add to growing concerns about security and violence in the country’s north. In January, President Muhammadu Buhari replaced the country’s top military commanders after months of pressure over his response to the worsening security situation in the country.
