LAGOS, Nigeria – 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 from the West African nation.
Police and the army have launched joint operations to rescue the girls after the attack on the girls’ high school of science in Jangebe city, according to a police spokesman in Zamfara state, Mohammed Shehu , which confirmed the kidnapped number.
One of the parents, Nasiru Abdullahi, told The Associated Press that his daughters, aged 10 and 13, are among the missing people.
“It’s disappointing that even though the military has a strong presence near the school, they couldn’t protect the girls,” he said. “At this stage, we only wait for divine intervention.”
Resident Musa Mustapha said the gunmen also attacked a nearby military camp and checkpoint, preventing soldiers from interfering while the gunmen spent several hours at the school. It was not immediately known if there were any casualties.
Several large groups of gunmen are operating in Zamfara state, described by the government as bandits, and are known to be kidnapped for money and for the release of their members from prison.
“We are angry and saddened by another brutal attack on Nigerian schoolchildren,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF representative in the country. “This is a serious violation of children’s rights and a horrible experience that children have to live.” He demanded his immediate release.
Nigeria has seen several attacks and kidnappings over the years, in particular the mass kidnapping in April 2014 by the Boko Haram jihadist group of 276 girls from Chibok High School in Borno State. More than a hundred girls are still missing.
Friday’s attack came less than two weeks after gunmen abducted 42 people, including 27 students, from Government Science College Kagara in the state of Niger. Students, teachers and relatives continue to be detained.
In December, 344 students were abducted from Kankara Government High School of Science in Katsina state. They were finally released.
Anietie Ewang, a Nigerian researcher at Human Rights Watch in Nigeria, noted the recent kidnappings and tweeted: “Strong action is needed from the authorities to change the tide and keep schools safe.”
Amnesty International also condemned the “terrifying attack”, warning in a statement that “abducted girls are at serious risk of being injured”.
Teachers have been forced to flee to other states to protect themselves and many children have had to drop out of school amid frequent violent attacks on communities, Amnesty said.