The Federal government has ordered a search for the missing students of government Science secondary school in Kankara district.
A governor of Nigeria’s restive northwestern state of Katsina on Saturday ordered the immediate closure of all boarding secondary schools in the state.
Aminu Masari, the governor of Katsina State gave the directive following the alleged abduction of some 400 students of the Government Science Secondary School (GSSS) which is located on the outskirts of Kankara town of the state by bandits in the night on Friday.
He spoke on Saturday when he visited the school and other government officials, some parents, traditional and religious leaders as well as security officials.
Masari, who could not control his emotions, pleaded with the people to be patient and show restraint and understanding, assuring them that the government would do every necessary thing to ensure the release of any abducted students.
He said security agencies had swung into action and were on the trail of the bandits. Masari assured residents that both the federal and state governments were doing their best to bring an end to banditry and other debilitating criminal activities in the state. Enditem
The gunmen stormed the Government
Science secondary school in Kankara district at about 9.40 p.m. local time, and
police at the scene returned fire, allowing some students to run for safety,
police spokesman Gambo Isah said in a statement.
Katsina, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari, is plagued by violent
bandits who regularly attack locals and kidnap for ransom. Attacks by Islamist
militants are common in northeastern parts of the country.
Buhari, who has been worried about the insecurity, arrived Friday for a week in
his home village some 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Kankara, was scheduled to
brief the national assembly on the security situation.