Nigeria kidnapped: Zamfara schools closed after mass abduction of students by gunmen

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At least 73 students were abducted from a state high school in Maradun district in Zamfara, local police said in a statement, adding that the high school was run by “armed bandits.”

“The kidnapping followed the invasion of the school by a large number of armed bandits,” according to the Zamfara State Police Command.

“A search and rescue team has been deployed to work with the army to locate and rescue the abducted children … Security has also been strengthened in Kaya Village and its surroundings to prevent further attacks on communities.” adds the statement.

Gunmen stormed his school in a raid on the kidnapping. Then he found his family in the hiding place of his captors

Zamfara information commissioner Ibrahim Dosara told CNN on Thursday that schools in the state have been closed to prevent further attacks.

“We have closed primary and secondary schools in the state,” Dosara said, adding, “but it is requested that schools conducting examinations be left behind until examinations are completed … A strong security presence will be provided for protect these exams “.

The latest abduction comes days after 91 schoolchildren previously abducted in north-central Niger were released by their abductors after thousands of dollars were paid by their families as a ransom.

Rescue kidnapping has become one of the major security challenges in Nigeria as Zamfara and other northwestern neighboring states have been affected by several mass kidnappings this year.

Hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls were released days after the abduction
Among the series of kidnappings in Zamfara, he highlighted the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls in the town of Jangebe in February. The students have since been released, and authorities insisted no ransom was paid to secure their release.
Between June 2011 and the end of March 2020, it was estimated that $ 18.34 million was paid in ransom, Lagos-based SBM Intelligence said in a report last year entitled “The Industry Economy of the kidnappings in Nigeria “.
Amnesty International has described the latest incident in Zamfara as “disturbing”, saying in a statement tweet that “school attacks and child abductions are war crimes.”

“Kidnapped children are at serious risk of being injured. Nigerian authorities must take all measures to return them to safety,” Amnesty added.

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