Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the president of Nigeria, has deployed soldiers to rescue a group of over 250 children who were taken by armed individuals from a school located in the north-west region of the country. This is considered one of the biggest kidnappings in recent times.
The abduction of a large group of people in Kaduna state was the second occurrence in the span of a week in Nigeria. Armed groups on motorcycles have been targeting victims in villages, schools, and on highways in order to demand ransom payments.
Officials from the local government in Kaduna have acknowledged the abduction that occurred at Kuriga school on Thursday. However, they are unable to provide an exact number of children that were taken due to ongoing efforts to determine the exact count.
According to witnesses, the attack resulted in the death of at least one individual who was shot.
Sani Abdullahi, a teacher at GSS Kuriga school in Chikun district, stated that the staff and numerous students were able to flee when armed attackers, referred to as bandits in the area, opened fire on Thursday morning.
According to three individuals living nearby, approximately 200-280 students and teachers were kidnapped, including 187 from the main junior school and 100 from primary classes, as reported by a local official.
“At the break of dawn, our peace was broken by the sound of gunshots from bandits. Before we could react, they had already taken our children,” shared Musa Mohammed, a member of the community. “We are earnestly appealing to the government, begging for security assistance.”
The recent kidnapping in Kaduna and the large-scale abduction of displaced individuals from camps in north-east Borno state last week highlight the difficulty that Tinubu will face in fulfilling his promise of creating a safer Nigeria and increasing foreign investment.
“I have been briefed by security leaders regarding the two incidents, and I am certain that the victims will be rescued,” stated Tinubu. He also issued orders for the armed forces to locate and capture the kidnappers. “Nothing less than this is acceptable to me and the families of those who have been taken. We will take decisive action to ensure justice is served.”
The two incidents of mass kidnapping occurred nearly a decade after Boko Haram drew significant global attention in April 2014 when they abducted over 250 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno state. Some of these girls are still unaccounted for.
Over 100 individuals have been reported as missing following a mass abduction by militants last week. The kidnapping was focused on women and children in camps for those who have been displaced due to conflict in Borno. However, there are conflicting reports regarding the timeframe and exact number of individuals affected.
The police did not release the statistics for the abduction at Kuriga school. It is common for the numbers reported in such incidents to decrease as individuals who were initially reported missing return home after fleeing.
“The state governor of Kaduna, Uba Sani, stated on X that constant efforts are being made by the government and security forces to guarantee the secure homecoming of the school students. I have been given firm guarantees by the president and national security adviser that every possible measure will be taken to retrieve the children.”
Over the past three years, there have been numerous incidents of mass kidnappings targeting schoolchildren and college students in the north-west and central regions, including Kaduna.
Most of them were eventually freed for a ransom fee after being held captive for several weeks or months in secret camps located in the wooded areas of north-western Nigeria.
On Thursday, Unicef denounced the attack and urged the government to take further measures to safeguard students.
Schools should be places for education and development, not places of danger and aggression, stated the director for Nigeria of the organization, Christian Munduate.
The armed forces of Nigeria are engaged in multiple conflicts, such as fighting against armed criminals in the north-west and a long-standing insurgent movement in the north-east that has resulted in the deaths of 40,000 individuals and forced over two million to flee their homes since 2009.
Conflict in Borno has decreased as the insurgent group has lost control over their former territory. However, they continue to engage in assaults, abductions, and invasions in isolated regions.
In September, a group of armed individuals kidnapped over 30 individuals, mainly consisting of 24 female students, during an attack on a university in the north-western region of Zamfara state.
In February of 2021, a group of armed individuals attacked a boarding school for girls in the town of Jangebe in Zamfara, abducting approximately 300 students. Just a few months prior, over 300 students were also abducted from a boys school in Kankara, located in Katsina state. Fortunately, they were released after a few days.
From July 2022 to June 2023, the number of abductions in Nigeria amounted to 3,620 individuals from 582 reported kidnapping cases, as reported by SBM Intelligence, a local risk analysis firm. Since assuming office in May of last year, Tinubu’s administration has accounted for a total of 4,777 abductions.
Source: theguardian.com
