KADUNA, Nigeria – In a harrowing escalation of violence in Nigeria’s north-west region, gunmen stormed a school and kidnapped at least 287 pupils, marking the second massive abduction in the country in less than a week.
The attack occurred just days after extremists kidnapped more than 200 people, predominantly women and children, in northeastern Nigeria, highlighting the severe and ongoing security crisis in the West African nation.
The assailants targeted a government primary school in Chikun’s Kuriga town right after the morning assembly at 8 a.m. on Thursday, March 7, 2024, seizing nearly 200 pupils before any form of help could arrive.
The school’s headteacher, Sani Abdullahi, reported the staggering number of missing students to Kaduna Governor Uba Sani during a distressing visit to the affected town.
The governor assured the community, “We will ensure that every child will come back. We are working with the security agencies.”
Abductions of students from educational institutions have become a distressing pattern in northern Nigeria, stirring widespread concern since 2014’s infamous kidnapping of over 200 schoolgirls by Islamic extremists in Chibok, Borno state.
Recently, these heinous acts have concentrated in the north-western and central regions, with armed groups targeting villagers and travellers for ransom.
Security forces and a government delegation reached Kuriga several hours after the attack, as the search operation expanded and anxious parents and community members awaited any news of their children.
“The government is trying everything possible with the security agencies to see how we can rescue them,” stated the local council chairman, Musa, amid a tense wait for developments.
Observers link these recent abductions to Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation, which witnessed the deaths of several hundred people in 2023.
Bola Tinubu, who was elected president last year on a platform of ending such violence, faces criticism for the continued lack of improvement in the nation’s security landscape.
“There has been no tangible improvement in the security situation yet,” remarked Oluwole Ojewale, a researcher with the Institute for Security Studies, underscoring the challenges ahead in restoring peace and safety to Nigeria.
