A group of gunmen abducted 317 girls from a boarding school in northern Nigeria on Friday, police said, the latest in a series of mass abductions of students in the West African nation.
Police and the army have launched joint operations to rescue the minors after the attack on the Government High School for Girls in the village of Jangebe, according to Mohamed Shehu, a police spokesman in Zamfara state, which confirmed the number of minors abducted.
Nasiru Abdulahi, one of the parents, told AP that his daughters, aged 10 and 13, are among the abducted girls.
“It is disappointing that although the armed forces have a strong presence near the school, they have not been able to protect the girls,” he noted. “At this time, we have only hope in divine intervention.”
According to Musa Mustafa, a resident of the area, the gunmen also attacked a nearby military camp and checkpoint, preventing soldiers from intervening while the assailants spent several hours at the school. It is unknown at this time whether the attack left any fatalities.
Several large groups of armed men operate in the state of Zamfara, and are known to carry out kidnappings to collect ransoms and secure the release of their imprisoned members in return. The government considers them bandits.
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Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said on Friday that the main goal of government is to get all the abducted girls back alive and unharmed.
“We will not succumb to the blackmail of bandits and criminals attacking innocent students in anticipation of hefty ransom payments,” he said. “We will not let bandits, kidnappers and terrorists have illusions that are more powerful than the government. They should not confuse our measure to achieve humanitarian goals of protecting innocent lives with a weakness, or a sign of fear or indecision. “.
The president also urged state governments to review policies to make payments, in cash or by vehicle, to bandits.
“We are angry and saddened by another brutal attack on students in Nigeria,” said Peter Hawkins, a representative of UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, in the country.
“This is a serious violation of children’s rights and a horrible experience for them,” added Hawkins, who demanded his immediate release.
The West African nation has witnessed several such attacks and kidnappings in recent years. The highlight was the abduction of 276 girls from Chibok High School in Borno State at the hands of the Islamist militia Boko Haram in April 2014. More than a hundred of them are still missing .
About two weeks ago gunmen abducted 42 people, 27 of them students, at Government Science College in Kagara, Niger State. Students, teachers and family members remain detained.
In December, 344 students were abducted at the Kankara Government Science High School in the Katsina region, and were later released.
Anietie Ewang, a researcher at Human Rights Watch activist group in Nigeria, recalled the latest incidents and tweeted: “Strong action by the authorities is needed to stem the tide and keep schools safe.”