The Kaduna State Government has confirmed the kidnapping of about 10 students in Kachia Local Government Area of the state.
In a statement issued on Tuesday in Kaduna, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan, said that the government received preliminary reports from security agencies about the incident.
According to him, the students were kidnapped
from Government Secondary School, Awon (a day secondary school) on Monday. The
exact location of the incident is yet to be ascertained, but the government is
awaiting detailed reports that will clarify whether the incident occurred
within the school premises or elsewhere.
“The government will issue a public statement
accordingly when these reports are received,” Aruwan said.
The incident has caused panic among residents
and parents of the affected students. Speaking on the incident, a parent who
preferred anonymity expressed fear over the safety of his child and other
students, calling on the government to take urgent steps to ensure their safe
return.
“We are calling on the government to do
everything possible to ensure the safe and immediate return of our children.
This is a very disturbing situation, and we are very worried about the safety
of our children,” he said.
Similarly, the National Association of
Nigerian Students (NANS) has condemned the incident and called on the
government to take decisive action to bring the perpetrators to justice.
In a statement issued by its President,
Sunday Asefon, the association expressed concern over the safety and well-being
of the abducted students, noting that the incident was a clear violation of
their right to education.
“The abduction of these innocent students is
an attack on the right to education of every Nigerian child. We call on the
government to take decisive action to bring the perpetrators to justice and
ensure the safe and immediate release of the abducted students,” Asefon said.
Meanwhile, the police in the state have said
that they are working to rescue the abducted students and bring the
perpetrators to justice. The state police spokesperson, Mohammed Jalige, said
that the command had deployed its personnel to the area to search for the
students and arrest the kidnappers.
“We have deployed our personnel to the area, and
we are working tirelessly to rescue the students and bring the perpetrators to
justice,” Jalige said.
The incident is the latest in a series of
kidnappings targeting schools in Nigeria. In February, over 300 students were
kidnapped from Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, in Zamfara State.
Similarly, in December 2020, over 300 students were kidnapped from Government
Science Secondary School, Kankara, in Katsina State. These incidents have
raised concerns about the safety of students in schools and the need for the
government to take decisive action to address the situation.
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