Gunmen attack: Amnesty condemns abduction of Katsina students

Global rights group, Amnesty International, has condemned the abduction of students from the Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State.

It was earlier reported that armed bandits attacked the boarding school last night, abducting a yet-to-be ascertained number of students.

Reacting, @AmnestyNigeria tweeted, “Amnesty International strongly condemns the abduction of many students of Government Science Secondary School Kankara, Katsina State by armed bandits who attacked the school last night.”

It also called on the government to protect the citizens, especially women and children in rural communities.

“Terrifying attacks on rural communities in the north of Nigeria have been going on for years. The ongoing failure of security forces to take sufficient steps to protect villagers from these predictable attacks is utterly shameful,” Amnesty Director in Nigeria, Osai Ojigho, stated.

Meanwhile, the Katsina State Police Command on Saturday said over 200 students of the school were rescued from gunmen who attacked the school on Friday night.

The command, however, did not specify the number of students abducted by the bandits but said efforts were being made to free the abducted students.

The incident happened barely a few hours after President Buhari arrived in his home state of Katsina for a week-long private visit.

Governor Aminu Masari has ordered the closure of all boarding schools in the state till further notice.

Non-state actors had in the past abducted hundreds of secondary school girls from Chibok, in Borno State and Dapchi in Yobe State. Some of them eventually regained freedom while a number of them were detained in the enclaves of their abductors and sexual abusers.