More than 200 schoolchildren were kidnapped from the Local Government Education Authority School in Kuriga, a northern town, marking the most significant mass abduction since 2021.
This is according to a report from Reuters. The incident occurred shortly after morning assembly, plunging families and the nation into a state of alarm.
According to Reuters, Sani Abdullahi, a teacher at the school stated that the kidnappers took 187 students from the secondary section and 40 from the primary section. This alarming figure was compiled in collaboration with the parents of the missing children.
While some were later released by the gunmen, others managed to escape on their own. The reason behind this partial release remains unclear, as does the fate of the remaining students.
What is the trigger for this: The community has attributed this tragic incident to a glaring lack of security in the area, a concern that has now culminated in the abduction of over 200 children. Uba Sani, the Governor of Kaduna State, visited Kuriga, pledging efforts to secure the students’ release, though details of the rescue plan remain unspecified.
Meanwhile, the families of the victims are left in anguish, with Fatima Usman, a parent of two abducted children, expressing a desperate hope for divine intervention.
International human rights organization Amnesty International has called upon Nigerian authorities to ensure the safe return of the abducted students and to bring those responsible to justice.
