By Benjamin Zwediuk
A group of armed men have abducted more than 200 children from a school in Nigeria, school officials said.
227 pupils are reported missing following an armed raid on the school in the town of Kuriga. A team of as-yet unidentified gunmen allegedly raided the building shortly after morning assembly, Reuters reported. A witness claimed that local vigilantes had attempted to defend the children, but were overpowered by the attackers.
The attack is thought to be the work of a local off-shoot of the Boko Haram group, Ansaru, according to the BBC.
Parents and residents have blamed a lack of security in Nigeria’s northern Kaduna state after gunmen raided a school in the town of Kuriga and kidnapped 227 students https://t.co/bDPFlYkVvb pic.twitter.com/I25U25C0SM
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 8, 2024
Some parents blamed poor government security in an area of the country that has been blighted by similar incidents.
“Seventeen of the students abducted are my children. I feel very sad that the government has neglected us completely in this area,” local Hassan Abdullahi said. The office of state governor Uba Sani reported that he had visited the town and vowed to get the children back. (RELATED: Gunmen Kill At Least 140 In Christmas Weekend Attacks On Nigerian Villages)
Nigeria has become known for similar kidnappings in recent years, with children being abducted to further the goals of political and religious groups, in addition to criminals involved in human-trafficking or seeking hefty ransoms.
Boko Haram was also responsible for a similar attack in the nearby town of Chibok in 2014, where over 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped, which inspired the #BringBackOurGirls campaign backed by then First Lady Michelle Obama.
