Several students have been abducted or disappeared following an armed attack on educational institutions in Borno state, in northeastern Nigeria. Authorities are investigating the incident, while locals are talking about dozens of children taken by the attackers.
Jihadists kidnap children for ransom. PHOTO: archive
Several students have been abducted or are missing following an armed attack on an educational facility in Borno state, in northeastern Nigeria.
The incident occurred at Mussa School in the Askira-Uba administrative area at around 09:00 in the morning (08:00 GMT), shortly after the start of classes. Witnesses say that the attackers arrived on the scene on motorcycles and entered the school premises, causing panic among students and teachers, informs apnews.
According to a teacher, although some of the students managed to flee to nearby wooded areas, others were allegedly taken by the attackers.
The attack has not been claimed, but it has the characteristics of the actions attributed to the Boko Haram group, active for many years in the region, which in 2014 kidnapped more than 270 schoolgirls from Chibok.
Police in Borno state said an unspecified number of students were reported missing, but it was unclear if they had been abducted. According to spokesman Nahum Daso, several children “fled to take shelter during the chaos” and checks are continuing.
Kidnappings of schoolchildren are common in Nigeria, where several armed groups target schools, analysts say, either for ransom or for the media impact of these attacks.
Locals say that the number of abducted children could be in the order of dozens.
“Two of my nieces, both under 10, were among the children taken to an unknown destination,” a resident told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, authorities are continuing to investigate to determine exactly how many students are missing and whether a mass abduction took place.
