Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday strongly condemned the abduction of more than 300 teenage girls from the Government Girls Science Secondary School in Jangebe, a village in Zamfara state, by unidentified gunmen, reported Africa News.
President Buhari said that the administration will not succumb to blackmail by bandits who are seeking large ransoms as the government has the capacity to deploy a massive force against them in the villages where they operate.
The Nigerian president added that the only issue in deploying forces is the fear of heavy losses of innocent hostages and villagers who could be used as human shields by the bandits. He also appealed to state administrations not to reward bandits with money or vehicles.
“We are angered and saddened by yet another brutal attack on schoolchildren in Nigeria,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in the country. “This is a gross violation of children’s rights and a horrific experience for children to go through.”
He called for the immediate release of the abducted girls.
The kidnapping in Zamfara state, where the governor ordered all boarding schools to close immediately, was the second such kidnapping in little over a week in the country’s northwest region. Earlier this month, 42 people including 27 boys, were abducted from a boarding school in the north-central state of Niger by a similar gang. The abducted students, teachers, and family members are still in captivation.
Heavily-armed gangs also known as bandits have increased attacks in Nigeria’s northwest and central region in recent years, kidnapping innocent people for ransom, raping, and for the release of their members from jail.
Last year on December 11, more than 300 boys were kidnapped from a school in Kankara, in President Buhari’s home state of Katsina, while he was visiting the region. . They were freed after six days but the Nigerian government denied paying a ransom.
By late Friday, there had been no claim of responsibility for the raid.
