After the July 2021 abduction of more than 150 students in a raid in Kaduna State, terrorists yesterday attacked Government Secondary School and LEA Primary School, Kuriga 1 in Chikun local government area of the state, killing one pupil and abducting 312 others.
The abduction came barely twenty-four hours after Boko Haram insurgents kidnapped over 300 women in Borno State and set ablaze their internally displaced persons’ (IDPs) camp.
Narrating how the terrorists carried out the attack on the joint secondary and primary school, a teacher at Government Secondary School (GSS) Kuriga, Mr Sani Abdullahi said a member of the Kaduna state Vigilante Service (KADVS) was killed by the bandits while 187 students and 125 pupils totaling 312 were missing.
He added however that 25 pupils from the primary school later escaped and returned home.
Based on his account, 287 pupils were taken into captivity.
“At GSS Kuriga, 187 students are presently (as of yesterday) missing. In the primary school, 125 pupils were initially missing, but, 25 of them escaped and retired home,” he said.
He gave the figures when the governor of Kaduna State, Mr Sani, alongside government officials visited the school yesterday.
Speaking further, Abdullahi said: “I resumed to the school today (yesterday) at exactly 7:47am. I entered the acting principal’s office and signed. All of a sudden, the acting principal asked me to look at my back and when I turned, we discovered that bandits had surrounded the school premises.
“We became confused; we didn’t know where to go. Then, the bandits asked us to enter the bush, so we obeyed them because they were many and the pupils, who are about 700, were following us. So, when we entered the bush, I was lucky to escape alongside many other people. I returned to the village and reported what happened to the community. So, immediately our vigilante and personnel of KADVIS followed the bandits, but the vigilante did not succeed. In fact, the bandits killed one of the vigilantes.
“It was when we came back from that pursuit that we briefed the village head and we started making efforts to know the actual number of pupils and teachers taken away by the bandits. At GSS Kuriga, 187 students are presently missing. In the primary school, 125 pupils were initially missing, but, 25 of them escaped and returned home.”
Responding, governor assured the residents that the missing pupils and teachers would reunite with their families.
“In my capacity as your elected governor, I am assuring you that by the grace of God, all the children will return unhurt. I spoke with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu and we are making efforts, the security forces have swung into action and by God’s grace, we will rescue the children.
“We will do whatever we need to do to ensure safe return of these children, even if it means coming to Kuriga to stay with you. The essence of government is protection of citizens’ lives and property. We recognized the fact that we are holding this position in trust for the people and by God’s grace, we will protect the citizens’ rights,” he told the Kuriga community.
He also stated that if state police had been approved, such incident might not have occurred.
“I am one of the prominent voices on the issue of security. When I was in the Senate, I moved the motion for the creation of state police.
“We have realised that there are not enough boots on ground. That is why we feel that if there is state police, every community like Kuriga will have people in the police and they would be armed with AK-47 rifles. That is the only way we would be able to protect the lives and property of the citizens. The vigilantes are not as armed as the bandits, because they don’t have AK-47; that is why the bandits are constantly causing us destruction. They come in to humiliate, kill and abduct our citizens.
Reacting to the attack, former lawmaker who represented Kaduna central senatorial zone, Mr Shehu Sani, described the incident as “tragic.” “It’s tragic to hear that 232 students have just been kidnapped in Kuriga village, Chikun LG in Kaduna State.
“It’s the same village where a school principal, Idris Sufyan, was killed and his wife kidnapped over a month ago. However, I’m optimistic their freedom will be secured,” he said.
Similarly, the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abukakar lll, described the abduction as unfortunate.
The JNI secretary general, Prof Khalid Abukakar-Aliyu, said in a statement that the abduction appeared to be an attempt by non-state actors to undermine the efforts of the government to tackle insecurity in the country.
He urged the security agencies to rise to the occasion by using technology in the fight against insurgents and kidnappers.
For its part, Amnesty International Nigeria described the abduction as “appalling.”
It stated on its X post that no child should have to choose between their education and their life and urged the government to arrest the perpetrators.
“Amnesty International condemns the appalling abduction of 200 primary and secondary school students and their teachers in #Kuriga Kaduna state. We are calling on the Nigerian authorities to safely rescue the students and hold the suspected perpetrators,” it wrote.
For its part, the Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (PTAN) said the governor of Kaduna State government should take responsibility for the incident.
The national president of the association, Mr. Haruna Danjuma, said this in a statement.
“I show my concern as a father and I extend my sympathy to the parents of the children.
“As a parent, I want the government of Kaduna, the federal government, and the local government area to come together to make sure these innocent children are safe, rescued, and returned to their parents.
“The governor of Kaduna should be held responsible and make sure these children are rescued. I want to also call on all the security personnel to make sure these children are rescued,” he said.
