Following the harrowing abduction of over 300 pupils and teachers from LEA Primary School in Kaduna State, parents have come forward to shared their experiences.
The attack, which occurred on March 8th,2024, saw bandits targeting the school in Kuriga community, Chikun Local Government Area.
Two days later, bandits reportedly kidnapped no fewer than 15 Tsangaya students at Gidan Bakuso area of Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
According to AP, Rashidat Hamzat, a parent, expressed the community’s reliance on divine protection due to the absence of adequate school security.
She said, “We do not have anything but we believe in God. We don’t have security, no soldier no police to protect the school”
Also a father of one of the abducted students, Shehu Lawal said he’s worried about the children. “I cant even work around because I am worried about the children and their where about. My child did not even take breakfast before leaving. We are two days on now and we don’t know anything”
The mass kidnapping in Kuriga was the third in northern Nigeria since last week; a group of gunmen abducted 15 children from a school in another northwestern state, Sokoto, before dawn Saturday, and a few days earlier 200 people, mostly women and children displaced by conflict, were kidnapped in northeastern Borno State.
Authorities including President Bola Tinubu has promised to secure their release.
Vice President Kashim Shettima disclosed this on Saturday in Kaduna during a meeting with the state Governor, Senator Uba Sani, security agencies and stakeholders, including traditional rulers and some affected parents from Chikun local government area of Kaduna State.
Speaking at the meeting, Shettima said all hands were on deck to ensure that all the abducted persons were safely recovered, adding that efforts were being made to ensure an end to such menace.
He noted that the President is personally pained by the unfortunate incident, assuring however that President Tinubu is equal to the task of securing the country.
His words: “I am here at the behest of His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, to empathise, to solidarize with the government and people of Kaduna over the sad incident of the kidnapping of our school kids. The President was personally pained by what happened and he has instructed the security agencies to leave no stone unturned until we return our kids to their parents.
“He (President) is in regular contact with the governor of Kaduna State. Today, so far, he has spoken with the governor four times; he has spoken with me three times about the rescue of the kids.”
In 2014, Islamic extremists abducted more than 200 schoolgirls from Borno’s Chibok, sparking the global #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign. Some are still held captive, including nearly 100 of the Chibok girls
