The Daily Crucible
Hundreds of students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina State are feared missing, after bandits attacked their hostels on Friday night.
Unofficial source put the number of students missing from the school after the bandits stormed it, at 6OO.
Government Science Secondary School located in Kankara LGA, Katsina State, northwest Nigeria, is said to boast of over 8OO students population but two - third of that figure were believed to have been kidnapped from their dormitories early today in a manner reminiscent of the Chibok school girls, where over 2OO of them were abducted by a terrorist group, Boko haram.
President Muhammadu Buhari left Asokoro, Abuja, the seat of power on Friday for Daura, his hometown in Katsina state for a weeklong visit.
It was learnt that one of the Schoolteachers said the bandits launched the attack shortly after prep at 9:30pm with sporadic shootings in the air, causing not a small pandemonium amid stampede as fear - stricken students ran over one another in bid to scale the perimeter fence while others struggled to break the school gate.
In five years, bandits have carried out savage attacks in Rann, Karewa, Sabon Birni, Dan Amuwa, Dutsin Gari, Zabarmari, Kadisau, Jibia, Sanyinna, Birnin Gwari, Zaria, Batsari, Maru, Zurmi communities, abducting hundreds and killing scores of others.
According to the teacher, the school has over 800 students beside JS3 and SS3 students who are currently out of school.
He said 600 students are yet to return to the school several hours after the attack.
“We are still hoping that some of them might return. We believe some of them fled the attack and ran into the bush,” he said.
The teacher further said the bandits, after gathering the students in one place, herded them towards Pauwa village, where they kept dozens of motorcycles to aid evacuation.
The state police confirmed the attack but said it had no information on the abduction.
A spokesman for the force, DSP Gambo Isa, told reporters that more than 200 dispersed students had already been identified and had gone into the bush when gunmen stormed their school.
He added that there was a skirmish between the gunmen and the police which resulted in “one police officer being shot but not dead.”
He explained that more police have been deployed to deal with the bandits, saying they are still doing headcount of students who have returned to the school from the bush.
“What happened was that yesterday around 11:30 pm, we had a report that bandits in their numbers armed with AK 47 Rifles attacked the Government Science Secondary School Ƙanƙara.
“There was opportunity that our policemen engaged the bandits in a gun duel. Many of the students escaped from the school. So, this morning the DPO found over 200 of the students and returned them back to the school. We are still counting the figures in order to ascertain whether or not actually the Bandits were able to kidnap any of the students.
“Already we have policemen that were posted in that school. So, there was exchange of fire between our policemen and the Bandits. Infact, they shot one of our policeman that got injured and he has been taken to the hospital and is responding to treatment,” he said.
Also, the Principal of the school, Usman Abubakar who confirmed the incident, said the management and the police have started conducting a headcount of the students.
“We cannot ascertain exactly the number of students kidnapped until later in the day as some of the students are now resurfacing from the nearby bush. We are currently taking the attendance. Some of them went straight to their various houses with their parents calling us that their children are at home,” Abubakar noted.
The Daily Crucible learnt that criminal elements carrying out robberies, kidnappings and deadly attacks have killed hundreds and abducted a hundred more over the last months in Buhari’s home state forcing residents to protest against the state of insecurity even as others sought refuge in neighbouring countries.
The Motorcycle-riding and armed - wielding bandits hibernating inside of the north's less visited forest reserves have become the latest entrants to the nation's regrettable lucrative kidnap - for - ransom enterprise.
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