Bandits Attack Zamfara School, Abduct Scores Of Students

Gunmen suspected to be bandits have abducted many students of Kaya Junior Secondary School in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Glamtush gathered that the gunmen who came on motorcycles stormed the school on Wednesday at about 11 am, shooting sporadically.

“There was an abduction of students just now in Kaya town, Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State. The gunmen who were in large number came to Kaya Junior Secondary School and abduct large number of students,” a source told SaharaReporters.

Niger, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto and many other states in North-west and North-central Nigeria are bedevilled by bandits’ attacks.

The bandits kill and kidnap at will despite the large deployment of police officers and soldiers to the affected states.

The latest incident comes a few weeks after bandits abducted students and teachers of the College of Agriculture in the Bakura Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Bandits have continued to terrorize communities in Zamfara, a disturbing trend that made the government announce a set of new measures to check their growing activities in the state.

Last week, the government announced the restriction of fuel sales to the state capital and the headquarters of the 14 local government areas of the state.

In addition, it directed eligible filling stations not to sell fuel beyond N10,000 to a single customer while the sale of fuel in jerry cans and roadside purchases (black market) were banned.

Another stringent move by the government to tackle banditry was the suspension of all weekly markets across the state, although normal market activities of buying and selling for local consumptions were exempted.

It had also suspended the transportation of livestock to and from the state, saying the transportation of food across the state and outside Zamfara must be verified.

As officials enforce the new measures, the government had sought the support and understanding of the people, saying the new measures were not intended to hurt anyone.

Barely a week after the measures were put in place, bandits struck again as they invaded Kaya Day Secondary School.

This is the third attack on schools in Zamfara this year – coming after the incidents in Jangebe and Bakura areas of the state.

A total of 317 students were abducted from the Government Girls Science Secondary School in Jangebe during an attack in February, six months before bandits kidnapped at least 20 persons comprising students and officials from the College Of Agriculture and Animal Science, Bakura.