Breaking: Armed bandits raid Kaduna school, abduct over 200 pupils and teachers

Panic and chaos engulfed Kuriga town in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State as bandits raided LEA Primary School, Kuriga (1), and abducted numerous pupils.

The exact count of abducted individuals remains uncertain at the time of this report, with residents estimating the number to be around 100.

The headteacher of the school and several other staff members are reportedly among the victims of the abduction.

Daily Trust reported that the incident occurred at 8:20 am immediately after the morning assembly on Thursday.

A resident named Shitu confirmed the incident, stating that most of the pupils fled from their classrooms upon sighting the bandits on the school premises.

As of the time of filing this report, there was no official reaction from the state government in response to the attack and abduction.

Meanwhile, a former Kaduna senator, Shehu Sani, expressed anger at the incident, expressing optimism that they would be free.

‘’It’s tragic to hear that 232 students have just been kidnapped in Kuriga village, Chikun LG in Kaduna State.

“It’s the same village where a school principal, Idris Sufyan was killed and his wife kidnapped over a month ago. However, I’m optimistic their freedom will be secured,’’ he said.

Nigeria has been struggling with internal insecurity over the years, with gangs of highly armed men wreaking havoc in northern parts, kidnapping thousands, killing hundreds, and making it unsafe to travel by road or farm in some places.

The attacks have added to the worries of security agencies that have been fighting a 14-year insurgency in the northeast, deadly farmer-herder and sectarian battles in the north-central and escalating attacks by a separatist group in the southeastern parts of the country.