Gunmen operating in Nigeria seized over 200 school pupils from the northern town of Kuriga on Thursday, marking the largest mass abduction from a school since 2021, as reported by a teacher, a local councilor, and parents of the missing children.
Despite multiple attempts to seek clarification, the police in Kaduna state remained unresponsive to inquiries regarding the abductions, which occurred shortly after the morning assembly at the Local Government Education Authority School in Kuriga.
According to Sani Abdullahi, a teacher of home economics, the count of kidnapped students from the secondary section, based on a joint assessment with parents, stands at 187, while 40 pupils from the primary section are currently unaccounted for.
Idris Maiallura, the local councilor for Kuriga, confirmed visiting the school and reported that initially, the gunmen had abducted around 100 primary school pupils, but later released some while others managed to escape.
Parents and residents expressed their frustration and attributed the kidnapping to the glaring lack of security in the area.
Following the incident, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state paid a visit to Kuriga and assured the community of efforts to secure the release of the abducted students, although his office did not provide specific details regarding the number of pupils still missing.
Amnesty International urged Nigerian authorities to take swift action to safely rescue the students and hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions.
In a poignant account, Fatima Usman, whose two children were among those abducted, expressed her helplessness, stating, "We don't know what to do, we are all waiting to see what God can do. They are the only children I have on Earth."
Hassan Abdullahi, another parent, revealed that local vigilantes attempted to fend off the attackers but were ultimately overwhelmed. "Seventeen of the students abducted are my children. I feel very sad that the government has neglected us completely in this area," Abdullahi lamented.
Incidents of kidnappings for ransom by armed groups have become commonplace in northern Nigeria, disrupting daily life and depriving thousands of children of access to education.
The last major reported abduction involving school children in Kaduna occurred in July 2021, when gunmen seized over 150 students in a raid. The students were eventually reunited with their families months later after ransoms were paid.
