Bandits Kill One, Abduct 280 School Children in Kaduna

UPDATED

Sani Abdullahi a teacher at Government Secondary School Kuriga, Chikun LGA of Kaduna state has disclosed that one person was killed while about 280 pupils including teachers were abducted by bandits who invaded the secondary and primary schools in the community.
The bandits were said to have invaded the schools located in the same proximity on Thursday at about 8am.

The teacher gave the figure that when the Kaduna state governor, Senator Uba Sani, along side government officials visited the area on Thursday evening.
Abdullahi said a member of the Kaduna state Vigilante Service (KADVS) was killed by the bandits while 187 students and 125 pupils were missing.
He added however that 25 pupils from the primary school later escaped and returned home.

“At GSS Kuriga, 187 students are presently missing. In the primary school, 125 pupils were initially missing, but, 25 of them escaped and retired home,” Abdullahi told the governor.

Narrating how the incident happened, he said he resumed work by 7:47am and entered the Acting Principal’s office to signed the staff register.
He said, “All of a sudden, the Acting Principal asked me to look at my back and when I turned, we discovered that bandits had surrounded the school premises.
“We became confused, we didn’t know where to go. Then, the bandits ordered us to enter the bush, so we obeyed them because they were many.
So, when we entered the bush, I was lucky to escape alongside many other people.
“I returned to the village and reported what happened to the community.

“Immediately our vigilante and personnel of Kaduna Vigilante Service (KADVS) followed the bandits, but the vigilante did not succeed.
“The bandits killed one of the vigilante, we just buried him a short while ago.
“It was when we came back that we briefed the Village Head and we started making efforts to find out the actual number of pupils and teachers taken by the bandits.”

Speaking during the visit, the governor said he was saddened by news of the incident.
The governor said, “Since I received the sad news of this incident, I have not had rest of mind because every child in Kaduna State is my child.
“So, I don’t want to you people to be disturbed.

“Let’s us pray to God to help and on our part as a government, we will not rest until these children return home”, the governor told the community.”
Sani promised to establish a Police Station and build a permanent camp for the military in the community.

He said he had briefed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, about the incident, adding that efforts were being made to deploy security forces to rescue the children.

“We will do whatever we need to do to ensure safe return of these children, even if it means coming to Kuriga to stay with you”, the governor assured .
Residents of the community who trooped out to the palace of the Village Head commended Sani for personally coming to identify with them in their trying moment.

By John Shiklam in Kaduna

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