Bandits have again attacked a school and kidnapped at least 15 Tsangaya students in the Gidan Bakuso area of Gada Local Government Area in Sokoto State.
According to reports, the attack took place about 1:00am on Saturday at the school premises.
Confirming the incident, the proprietor of the school, Liman Abubakar, said, “So far, 15 students were unaccounted for, but we are still counting”
“They invaded the town around 1:00am, shot one person and abducted a woman in the process.
“As they were leaving the town, they sighted our students rushing into their rooms and they kidnapped many of them.
“We have so far counted 15 who are missing and we are still searching for more.”
Abubakar added that this was not the first time the village was invaded by bandits. He added that in those attacks, no student was abducted until now.
A resident of the affected community, Mansur Ahmadu said the bandits invaded the community in the middle of the night.
“It was a serious situation when the incident happened, they killed a woman in the process before they abduct those students,” he said.
Also confirming the incident, a member, representing Gada-East constituency at the state House of Assembly, Kabiru Dauda, said he received a call from the village around 2:00am that they were invaded by bandits.
“I reached out to the local government authorities and security agencies and I am sure they are doing something about it,” he said.
When contacted, the spokesman for the Sokoto State Police Command, ASP Ahmad Rufa’i, said the command has deployed team to ascertain the real situation.
He said, “Most of your colleagues has been calling me on this but honestly I just spoke with the Divisional Police Officer of the affected community.
“We have mobilised our men to ascertain what actually happened, I can assure you that we are on top of the situation. I will brief you on it” he added.
Efforts to speak with the state governor’s Special Adviser on Security Matters, Col Ahmed Usman (retd.), was not successful as his line was not reachable as of the time of filling this report.
A top government official who spoke on condition of anonymity however confirmed the attack while assuring all that the government will do everything possible in ensuring the safety returns of the abducted students.