Police confirm kidnapping of nine students in Katsina by gunmen
Police have confirmed the kidnapping of nine pupils of an Islamic seminary in Katsina state, Thursday, by gunmen, in the latest of a string of school abductions.
Motorbike-riding bandits reportedly abducted the children in the village of Sakki on Tuesday as they were heading home after school, said the Katsina State Police Command spokesman, Gambo Isah.
“Nine pupils were abducted,” Isah said, adding that the police were on the trail of the kidnappers.
“All efforts are being made to rescue the children,” he assured.
Local residents however said eight pupils and a teacher were taken.
“The bandits came to the school around 6:00 pm and forced the eight pupils and their teacher on motorcycles and zoomed off into the bush,” resident Muntari Nasiru said.
According to the United Nations, up to 950 students have been kidnapped across Nigeria since December.
While most of the hostages have been released after negotiations, some are still being held.
Last May, more than 100 pupils of an Islamic seminary kidnapped from the town of Tegina in Niger state are still in captivity.
Kidnappings are just one of the challenges facing Nigeria’s security forces, who are battling a grinding Islamist insurgency in the northeast and separatist tensions in parts of the south.
