Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday condemned the abduction of schoolboys by gunmen from a school in central Nigeria and called for a rescue operation, reported CGTN Africa.
Unidentified gunmen abducted dozens of schoolchildren, teachers, and their relatives in an attack on a boarding school. The heavily armed miscreants dressed in military uniforms raided the all-boys Government Science College (GSC) in Kagara Town, Niger State, on Tuesday night killing one student.
In a statement, Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said the Nigerian President has directed the Armed Forces and Police to ensure the immediate and safe return of all the captives.
President Buhari has urged Nigeria’s security forces “to do all that can be done to bring an end to this saga, and avoid such cowardly attacks on schools in the future.”
The number of students and staff abducted from the school was still unknown, the statement added.
Heavily-armed gangs known locally as “bandits” are quite active in northwest and central Nigeria. They have increased such attacks in recent years, kidnapping for ransom, raping, and pillaging. The lack of rural security and protection by security forces in the area has provided the conditions for armed groups to thrive.
The attack follows a similar attack in December when about 300 schoolboys were abducted in Katsina, north-west Nigeria. The boys were later released after negotiations with Nigerian government officials, but the incident sparked global outrage.
The United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric called for the immediate release of those abducted on Wednesday. He said attacks on schools, on children, are abhorrent and need to be condemned in the strongest terms.
International Rights Group Amnesty International said attacks on schools and abductions of children amount to war crimes.
Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello ordered the closure of all boarding schools in areas at risk from bandit attacks on Wednesday.
