Two hundred students who fled for safety on Friday night after bandits attacked the Government Science Secondary School, Ƙanƙara in Katsina State, have been safely returned.
IGP Mohammed Adamu
Police Spokesperson, Gambo Isah and the Principal of the school, Usman Abubakar confirmed this on Saturday. This comes amid reports that hundreds were abducted during the raid.
Although the school and police authorities are yet to confirm reports of an abduction or casualties, the principal said the school management and the police are currently conducting a headcount of the students.
Armed with sophisticated weapons, the bandits stormed the school in their numbers and attacked the students in an operation that last about an hour.
BUHARI CONDEMNS ATTACK ON KATSINA SCHOOL
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Saturday condemned the bandits’ attack at the Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina State, where students were reportedly abducted.
He has also directed men of the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Police Force to go after the attackers to ensure that no student gets missing or harmed.
Buhari’s position was contained in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, titled “President Buhari strongly condemns bandits’ attack on Katsina school.”
According to the statement, the President urged the school authorities to carry out an audit of the population of the students following shootings in and around the school that sent hundreds of them fleeing and scrambling over perimeter walls.
He also asked that parents who rushed to the school and took their children and wards away should notify the school and police authorities in order to have a full account of the school population.
“I strongly condemn the cowardly bandits’ attack on innocent children at the Science School, Kankara.
“Our prayers are with the families of the students, the school authorities and the injured,” the statement qouted the President as saying while pledging to continue to support the police and military struggle against terrorists and bandits.
Shehu also disclosed that in the latest briefing received by the President from Governor Aminu Masari, with whom he has been in touch, and the Chief of Army staff, General Tukur Buratai, the military, supported by air power has located the bandits’ enclave at Zango/Paula forest in Kankara and there have been exchange of fire in an ongoing operation.
President Muhammadu-Buhari
He further qouted the police authorities as saying that so far, there has not been reported any student casualty.
“The President has directed the reinforcement of security of all schools in line with the safe schools policy of the administration.,” the statement added.
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STUDENTS ABDUCTION DESPITE BUHARI’S PRESENCE IN KATSINA BAFFLING —PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party has slammed the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) over the abduction of yet-to-be ascertained number of students from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State.
The opposition party said it was perplexing that gunmen attacked the school and abducted the students on Friday, the same day the President arrived in Katsina for a week-long visit.
The party’s position was contained in a statement issued on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan.
PDP in the statement titled, ‘Terrorism: Account For 600 Kidnapped Katsina Students, PDP Tells Buhari’, condemned the abduction on Friday and asked the president to immediately ensured the students were freed.
It partly read, “The PDP, standing with the entire Katsina people, charges President Muhammadu Buhari, as the commander-in-chief, who promised to lead from the front, to account for the abducted students, as the large-scale abduction happened a few hours after the President and his security machinery took over the state.
“Our party holds as perplexing that at a time the people of Katsina should have heaved a sigh of relief because of his presence, the abduction happened right under Mr. President’s nose; in his home state, where he had gone holidaying.”
The statement further read, “The PDP demands that President Buhari should immediately quit his needless holidaying in Daura and go in search of, and rescue the abducted students, particularly having earlier admitted that issue of security is his exclusive responsibility.
“The PDP, working in concert with other patriotic Nigerians will not rest until President Buhari finds and returns each of these students.
“The PDP urges Nigerians to remain alert and prayerful as the nation wades through this nightmare under an insensitive, inept and uncoordinated administration.”
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GUNMEN ATTACK: AMNESTY CONDEMNS ABDUCTION OF KATSINA STUDENTS
Global rights group, Amnesty International, has condemned the abduction of students from the Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State.
The PUNCH had reported that armed bandits attacked the boarding school last night, abducting a yet-to-be ascertained number of students.
Reacting, @AmnestyNigeria tweeted, “Amnesty International strongly condemns the abduction of many students of Government Science Secondary School Kankara, Katsina State by armed bandits who attacked the school last night.”
It also called on the government to protect the citizens, especially women and children in rural communities.
“Terrifying attacks on rural communities in the north of Nigeria have been going on for years. The ongoing failure of security forces to take sufficient steps to protect villagers from these predictable attacks is utterly shameful,” Amnesty Director in Nigeria, Osai Ojigho, stated.
Meanwhile, the Katsina State Police Command on Saturday said over 200 students of the school were rescued from gunmen who attacked the school on Friday night.
The command, however, did not specify the number of students abducted by the bandits but said efforts were being made to free the abducted students.
The incident happened barely a few hours after the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), arrived in his home state of Katsina for a week-long private visit.
Governor Aminu Masari has ordered the closure of all boarding schools in the state till further notice.
Non-state actors had in the past abducted hundreds of secondary school girls from Chibok, in Borno State and Dapchi in Yobe State. Some of them eventually regained freedom while a number of them were detained in the enclaves of their abductors and sexual abusers.
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KATSINA ABDUCTION: MASARI ORDERS CLOSURE OF BOARDING SCHOOLS
Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State on Saturday ordered the immediate closure of all boarding secondary schools in the state.
The directive followed the abduction of an unspecified number of students of the Government Science Secondary School Kankara by bandits on Friday night.
The Governor gave the directive during his visit to the school on Saturday for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.
He was accompanied by his Deputy, Alhaji Mannir Yakubu, and other top government officials.
Masari – Overwhelmed?
The Governor, during the visit, also met with the school officials, some parents, traditional and religious leaders as well as security officials.
The Governor pleaded with residents to be patient and show restraint and understanding, assuring them that the government will do every necessary thing to ensure the release of all the abducted students.
He said security officials comprising the military, the police, and the Department of State Security had swung into action and were on the trail of the abductors.
Governor Masari further assured that both the Federal and the state governments were doing their best to bring an end to banditry and other debilitating crimes in the state.
According to him, the government is very firm in its resolve to be ruthless in any engagement with the bandits.
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