SCORES of school children have been reportedly abducted by bandits at Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The incident occurred few hours after President Muhammadu Buhari arrived the state for a week long private visit.
Until Friday, the president last visited his home state in December 2019.
ThisDay reported the abduction occurred Friday night, leaving parents and people of the community perplexed.
After terrorizing the community, the assailants went on to abduct the students, while those who were lucky to escape fled into nearby bushes to find their way to safety.
As at Saturday morning, parents were reportedly looking for their children whose whereabouts were not known.
The bandits rode on motorbikes and shot into the air sporadically before storming the school to whisk the children away.
A source in the school told the newspaper: “They abducted many of our students who were inside their hotels. I cannot say how many people were kidnapped, but they went away with many students.
“As we speak this morning (Saturday), our remaining students had left the school and their parents are here with us trying to know their whereabouts.
On April 2014, 276 female students were kidnapped from Chibok, Borno state by Boko Haram.
A large number of the children are yet to be found till date.
The belligerent group also abducted 110 schoolgirls from Government Girls’ Science and Technical College Dapchi in Bulabulin, Yunusari Local Government area of Yobe State on February 19 2018.
Five of the children were killed during the attack.
Over 100 of the girls were however released by the insurgents, while they held on to one of the girls, Leah Sharibu, who is said to remain with the group because of her refusal to renounce her Christian faith.
The abductions in Borno and Yobe states have been followed by several others in Kano, Lagos and other states in the country.
Nigeria faces security challenges, aggravated by emergence of Boko Haram insurgents in Borno state a decade ago.
Boko Haram, now joined by the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) and other non-state fighters, has killed thousands, displaced millions, orphaned many children and destroyed infrastructures and means of livelihood in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, which have been the epicentre of their operations.
After killing of nearly a hundred people in Zabarmari in Borno state fortnight ago, the House of Representatives passed a resolution inviting President Buhari to give account of his stewardship on security in the country.
The president, who had agreed to appear before the House last Thursday, suddenly made a U-turn before traveling to his home town Daura for a private visit.
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org