By Abba Gwale
In the early hours of today, Friday 26th February, reports from Zamfara state confirmed that gunmen stormed Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe in Talata-Mafara local government and kidnapped more than 300 students.
The attack came less than one month after bandits abducted students in government secondary school Kagara in Niger state, and the victims are still in kidnappers den even though there was reports of negotiations between government and the bandits.
One of the residents in Jangebe village in Zamfara, Shitu Jangebe, narrated to SAHELIAN TIMES how the kidnappers stormed the village, killed one police officer, and abducted hundreds of students.
“They came to the village at around 1am and dispersed into different positions. They were well armed and nobody knew their exact number.
“there was security personnel adjacent to the school and the police attempted to foil the attack but the gunmen overpowered the security and enter the school firing bullets in the sky and kidnapped the students” he said
He added that “They killed one police Sergeant and shot one soldier, injuring him. They kidnapped at least 317 girls students after the head count by the school authority”
When asked by SAHELIAN TIMES whether the parents and the relatives of the students went after the kidnappers inside the forest as reported by some media organizations, Shittu comfirmed that some of the parents of the student went after the kidnappers along with some vigilantes and police officers.
“Many parents of the victims agreed to go after their children and members of the vigilante group already went after the kidnappers. Many of the students are from neighbouring villages,” he said.
He added that, “My friend told me that a vigilante member even shot two kidnappers when they caught up with them in the forest. The only problem is the bandits are well equipped with arms more than that of the vigilantes, that is why members of the community asked them to not go after them.”
He said the State Commissioner of Police, Commissioner of Internal Security, DPO of Talata-Mafara local government and Area Commander of the State Police Command, Civil Defence have all visited the school after the incidence.
“Some boys in the village pelted the State Commissioner of Police with stones to show their grievances of lack of insecurity,” he concluded.
Zamfara state government comfirmed the incident and said the government, in collaboration with security agencies, will do everything possible to rescue the students.
Yesterday President Buhari indicated that his administration would deal decisively with bandits and will not grant them amnesty.
