Bandits have in the early hours of Monday attacked Bethel Baptist School, a private college located at Maraban Rido area in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, abducting an unspecified number of students.
The kidnappers were said to have invaded the school around 1am, shooting sporadically into the air before forcibly moving the school children from their hostels into the forest.
Four of the students escaped while the rest were taken away by the bandits to an unknown destination, ChannelsTV reports.
A resident, who did not want his name mentioned, confirmed the incident to newsmen, saying many students were kidnapped but four escaped and ran back to the school.
He expressed;
Two soldiers were allegedly shot but I cannot confirm if they’re alive or not. It is difficult to say the number of students that were abducted.
Spokesperson of Kaduna State Police Command, Mohammed Jalige, is yet to react to the latest incident as of the time of filing this report.
The abduction comes few days after Kaduna state Governor, Nasir El-Rufai confirmed the withdrawal of his 7-year-old son, Abubakar Al-Sadiq El-Rufai, from a public school in the state.
Read Also: Gov El-Rufai Withdraws Son From Public School, Says Bandits Are Targeting Him
El-Rufai who enrolled the boy into the school in September 2019, had said he made the move to fulfil the promise he made in 2017.
In December 2017, the governor had in a state broadcast promised to enroll his child in a public school when he turns six years.
Then last year, the Governor dramatically enrolled him in one of northern Nigeria’s oldest public schools.
However, the boy has stopped going to the school since COVID-19 lockdown was lifted last year.
Reacting in an interview with BBC Pidgin, El-Rufai said his son had been targeted by bandits because of the governor’s public stand against the payment of ransom.
He added that his daughter, Nesrin, was also enrolled in the school when she turned six.
El Rufai said though there was no threat to Nesrin, both children were removed from the school on the advice of security agencies.
More details shortly.
