Police confirm abduction of over 73 students from Zamfara school

Police authorities in Zamfara have confirmed the abduction of 73 Students of Government Day Secondary School in Kaya in Maradun Local Government Area of the state.

 

The spokesman for the command, Mohammed Shehu, confirmed the number of students abducted in a statement on Wednesday.

 

“The abduction followed the invasion of the school by a large number of armed bandits that occurred today (Wednesday) at exactly 1122hrs,” he said.

 

“The command under the leadership of CP Ayuba N Elkanah psc+ has deployed search and rescue team that was mandated to work in synergy with the military to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted students.”

 

According to Shehu, the police have asked residents, especially parents and relatives of the abducted students to be patient and continue to pray for the success of the rescue operation.

 

He stated that security had been beefed up at Kaya Village to prevent a reoccurrence of the incident.

 

Sources in the village had told Channels Television that the assailants invaded the school in a large number and left with the students to an undisclosed location.

 

Disturbed by the latest abduction, the State Security Council met and deliberated on the need for further measures to tackle insecurity in the state.

 

At the end of the meeting, the government through the Commissioner for Information in Zamfara, Ibrahim Dosara, announced the restriction of movement of vehicles in and out of the state.

 

This included cars, trucks, motorbikes, and tricycles in all the local government areas of the state from Wednesday.

 

In Gusau local government, the restriction is to be enforced from 8pm to 6am, while it will be effective from 6pm to 6am in the remaining 13 local governments.

 

“Security agencies have been directed to ensure compliance with this order, please,” Dosara said in a statement.

 

Wednesday’s incident is the third attack on schools in Zamfara this year – coming after the incidents in the Jangebe and Bakura areas of the state.

 

A total of 317 students were abducted from the Government Girls Science Secondary School in Jangebe during an attack in February, six months before bandits kidnapped at least 20 persons comprising students and officials from the College of Agriculture and Animal Science, Bakura.