GUNMEN on Thursday abducted six students and two teachers from a private secondary school in Kaduna.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the state command, DSP Yakubu Sabo, who confirmed the incident, said the force was on the trail of the kidnappers.
“The gunmen invaded the school through a porous fence in the early hours of Thursday (yesterday) morning, went straight to the female hostel and abducted six students. Two teachers residing inside the school were also kidnapped by the bandits and their whereabouts are yet unknown,” he clarified.
The spokesman went on: “Information from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Toll Gate in the early hours of today (yesterday) at about 0310 hours indicated that some armed men gained entry into Engravers College, a boarding secondary school in a remote area near Kakau Daji village in Chikun Local Government Area (LGA) and took away two staff of the college and six female students to an unknown destination.
“On receipt of the information, the command immediately mobilised a team of anti-kidnapping, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and conventional police (officers) to the area for (a) possible rescue of the victims and arrest of the perpetrators.
“The IGP Intelligent Respond team (IRT) has been contacted for technical support.”However, the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has flayed government and security agencies for ‘failing’ to secure the lives and property of citizens.
The state chairman of the body, Reverend Joseph Hayap who was reacting yesterday to the abduction, stated that the relatives of the victims had reached out to the association to assist in rescuing their loved ones.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has released from custody 23 boys and two girls cleared of ties with armed groups.
The development brings to 44 the number of children so far emancipated this year. The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Nigeria’s Acting Representative, Pernille Ironside, made the disclosure in a statement yesterday in Abuja. She noted that 2,499 people, including 1,627 children, had been cleared of association with non-state armed groups since 2016
Ironsiside added that the kids had been handed over to the Borno State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development for keeps in a UNICEF-supported transit centre prior to their reunion and reintegration with families and the larger society. She pointed out that the children would access medical and psychosocial care, education, vocational training and informal apprenticeships as well as opportunities to improve their livelihoods.
