Gunmen Abduct Students From Federal Government College In Kebbi

 

Gunmen suspected to be bandits have stormed Federal Government College, Birnin-Yauri in Kebbi State and abducted an unspecified number of students and four teachers.

The gunmen also killed a police officer during the attack.

The police in Kebbi confirmed the attack to Channels Television.

The abduction is the latest in a series of school kidnappings that have rocked the country in recent times.

In late May, about 200 students of an Islamiyya school in Niger state were abducted by gunmen.

The abductors usually demand a ransom before students are released.

Some 14 students and staff of Greenfield University in Kaduna were released in May after parents reportedly paid over N150 million ransom and bought eight motorcycles for the bandits.

The Federal Government has denied ever paying ransom to release kidnapped persons and has discouraged the idea.

The government has also repeatedly promised to end the abduction of students across the country.

The school kidnappings have persisted as the country continues to battle several security challenges, including but not limited to an insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, secessionist agitations in the South-East and Fulani-Herdsmen crises across the Middle-Belt and several South-West states.

Police launch manhunt

Kebbi, a northwest state about 600km away from Abuja, has been in the news lately for the wrong reasons.

Earlier in June, at least 66 people were said to have been killed in attacks launched by gunmen on several communities in Danko-Wasagu local government area of the state.

At least 36 people also died after a boat capsized in the Ngaski local government area of the state in late May.

According to police spokesman Nafiu Abubakar, Thursday’s attack and abduction started when the bandits, in their large numbers, invaded the school at about 12 noon and started shooting sporadically to create panic among the students and teachers.

He said the Bandits were able to abduct four teachers and an unconfirmed number of students away to an unknown destination.

Abubakar also disclosed that a policeman lost his life, while one student sustained gun shot injury during an exchange of fire between security operatives and the bandits.

He added that security operatives have launched a manhunt for the bandits with a view to rescuing the kidnap victims and arresting the criminals.