Nigeria Faces Worsening Abductions as Students and Women Kidnapped in Sokoto School Attack
Nigeria is grappling with a disturbing surge in abductions, as more than a dozen students and four women were kidnapped from a school in Gada, Sokoto. This incident adds to the growing list of abductions in the country, with the army still searching for hundreds of schoolchildren taken in the western town of Kuriga just days before.
According to local MP Bashir Usman Gorau, 15 students were among those kidnapped in the early hours of the morning. The state governor, Uba Sani, provided an update, revealing that at least 28 of the children abducted in Kuriga had managed to escape. This mass kidnapping, which involved 280 students, is the largest since 2021.
The kidnappings in Kuriga were carried out by armed men on motorbikes who targeted primary and secondary school children between the ages of eight and 15. Nigerian troops, along with the police and local search teams, are now conducting extensive searches in the forests within Kaduna state and neighboring areas. It is believed that almost every family in Kuriga has been affected by this tragedy.
Tragically, one of the abducted students, a 14-year-old who had been shot by the gunmen, succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment at a hospital. These abductions follow another incident where women and children were taken from a remote town in Borno state.
Governor Uba Sani attributes the rise in kidnappings to a lack of security personnel on the ground. In response to these alarming events, families of the abducted children have formed vigilante groups and are seeking assistance from neighboring communities in locating their loved ones.
In an effort to address the crisis, Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima is visiting Kaduna to meet with Governor Uba Sani. President Bola Tinubu expressed his confidence in the rescue operation, stating on social media, “Nothing else is acceptable to me and the waiting family members of these abducted citizens. Justice will be decisively administered.”
The mass abduction in Kaduna has reignited memories of the infamous Chibok incident in 2014, where nearly 300 girls were kidnapped in Nigeria’s northeastern town. The safety of children attending school has become a major concern for parents in northern Nigeria, leading to thousands of children missing out on education.
It is worth noting that in July 2021, gunmen abducted over 150 students in Kaduna. They were eventually released after their families paid ransoms. However, in 2022, Nigeria enacted a law banning ransom payments to kidnappers and imposing a 15-year jail term for those involved. The law also made abduction punishable by death in cases where victims lose their lives.
The escalating wave of abductions in Nigeria is a grave issue that demands urgent attention and action. The government must prioritize the safety of its citizens, particularly vulnerable children, and take decisive measures to address the root causes of these kidnappings. Only then can Nigeria hope to restore peace and security to its communities.
Related Topics:
– Nigeria
– Africa