According to AFP on the 17th, a school in Niger State in north-central Nigeria was attacked by unidentified armed elements that day, killing at least one student and abducting 42 people.
A spokesman for the President of Nigeria issued a statement on the same day saying that President Buhari condemned the kidnapping and ordered the armed forces and police to ensure that the hostages were released as soon as possible.
According to the report, on the evening of the 16th local time, some attackers in military uniform attacked a public polytechnic with about 1,000 students in the town of Kagara, Niger State, and kidnapped some students and teachers from the dormitory, driving them into a nearby forest.
The Associated Press quoted the school’s teacher Issa as saying that the gunman claimed to be soldiers.
The governor of Niger, Abubakar Belo, told local media in Minna, the capital of the state, on the same day that one student was shot dead in the attack and at least 42 people were kidnapped, including 27 students, 3 school employees and the families of 12 employees.
Bello said that all boarding schools in the local and adjacent three other districts have been temporarily closed for security reasons.
The government and security departments will make every effort to ensure that all the kidnapped people are rescued safely and request the strong support of the federal government.
The Nigerian presidential palace issued a statement on the same day saying that President Buhari had sent a leading group composed of heads of security agencies to Niger State to direct and coordinate rescue operations.
According to the report, in recent years, northwest and central Nigeria have gradually become the target of criminal gangs known as “bandits” in the area, who carry out criminal activities such as kidnapping, ransom, rape and robbery.
Last December, more than 300 student abductions occurred in the country’s Zina state, which raised huge security concerns despite the final release of the negotiated students.
