Bandits Attack, Abduct Over 50 Students In President Buhari’s Home State

Fifty-four male students of Government Science Secondary School in the Katsina home state of Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari were late Friday night abducted by bandits.

The bandits, it was reported, invaded the school around 11 pm and shot repeatedly and sporadically into the air.

The bandits attacked the school even as the Nigerian President is on a one week rest in his Daura home.

The incident has forced the remaining students, who survived the invasion, to vacate the school in the night.

Sources revealed that the school had 884 students but 54 are missing after the invasion by the bandits who were riding on motorcycles. 

One of the police officers manning the school gate is currently receiving treatment at Kankara General Hospital. 

The bandits are reported to have also invaded the staff quarters and abducted an elderly woman. 

Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State, who visited the school on Saturday ordered for the immediate closure of all boarding secondary schools in the state. 

The governor met with the school officials, some parents, traditional and religious leaders as well as security personnel in the area. 

Masari pleaded for patience while giving an assurance that the government will do everything possible to secure the release of all the abducted students. 

He said already, security forces, comprising the military, the police, and the Department of State Security have swung into action and are on the trail of the abductors. 

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of Katsina state police command, Mr. Gambo Isah, confirmed the incident but explained that the attack was repelled. 

“Yesterday, at about 9:40 pm, bandits in their numbers, shooting sporadically with AK 47 rifles, attacked GSSS Kankara, Kankara Local Government Area. 

“The policemen on duty responded to the attack and engaged the attackers in a gunfight which gave the students the opportunity to scale the fence of the school and run for safety. 

“The DPO Kankara reinforced the policemen on duty with Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) which forced the hoodlums to retreat into the forest,” Isah said. 

The PPRO said that the police command was working with other security agencies and the school authorities to ascertain if students were missing following the attack. 

Isah said that more than 200 students who ran into the town for their safety during the attack had returned to the school on Saturday morning. 

He revealed that a police Inspector sustained a gunshot wound during the incident, and was taken to the hospital where he is responding well to treatment.