According to a report from the news agency Reuters, more than 200 school students were abducted in the Nigerian town of Kuriga on Thursday, as confirmed by a teacher, a local councillor, and parents of the missing children, Reuters reported on Friday. Sani Abdullahi, a home economics teacher, informed Reuters, “The number of kidnapped students from the secondary section, based on the statistics we compiled together with the parents, is 187, while the number from the primary section is 40 for now.”
Initially, the gunmen had taken 100 primary school pupils, but later released them, with some managing to escape, as stated by Kuriga’s local councillor, Idris Maiallura.
Parents and residents attribute the kidnappings to the town’s lack of security. Fatima Usman, whose two children were among those abducted, expressed her despair to the news agency, saying, “We don’t know what to do; we are all waiting to see what God can do. They are my only children I have on Earth.” Another parent mentioned that local vigilantes attempted to repel the gunmen but were overwhelmed.
The office of Uba Sani, the Governor of Kaduna state, announced that he visited Kuriga and pledged to secure the release of the students.
Amnesty International issued a condemnation of the kidnappings, urging Nigerian authorities to safely rescue the students and bring the perpetrators to justice. “Schools should be places of safety, and no child should have to choose between their education and their life. The Nigerian authorities must take immediate measures to prevent attacks on schools, protect children’s lives, and uphold their right to education,” stated Amnesty International in a post on X.
The last incident of school children being abducted in Kaduna occurred in July 2021, when gunmen raided and abducted over 150 students. The students were reunited with their families several months later after ransoms were paid.
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