On Friday, November 21, in Nigeria, in Niger State, armed criminals abducted students and teachers from St. Mary's boarding school. This was reported by Associated Press and Reuters with reference to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), reports UNN.
Details
It is noted that the incident occurred in the village of Papiri. Eyewitnesses and relatives of the missing report chaos and despair among the local population.
According to CAN's statement, 215 students and 12 teachers were abducted.
The exact number of abducted students has not yet been confirmed, as security services continue to assess the situation
The state government reported that the unfortunate incident occurred after intelligence learned of an increased threat level in some areas of the state, and then the authorities issued a directive to suspend all construction work and temporarily close all boarding schools.
Unfortunately, the affected school continued to operate and resumed the educational process without even attempting to obtain permission from the state government, thereby exposing students and school staff to unjustified risk
Tactical police units, military, and other Nigerian security forces arrived at the scene. The search for the children continues in the surrounding forests.
Local resident Umar Yunus said that at the time of the attack, security was provided only by school guards, and there were no police or government forces on the territory.
At the same time, the authorities closed 47 federal unity colleges - elite public schools, mostly in the northern states.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks in Niger and Kebbi states, but analysts and local residents believe that such actions are characteristic of criminal gangs that abduct people for ransom.
Recall
In Nigeria, armed men attacked a church in Eruku, killing two people and abducting the pastor and several parishioners. President Bola Tinubu canceled trips and ordered increased security, as well as intensified searches for the abducted schoolgirls.