Original title: Nearly 100 students in Nigeria were kidnapped and the military continues to rescue Source: CCTV News Client
Nearly 100 students and several faculty members of a middle school in northwestern Nigeria were kidnapped by armed men last week. The military carried out rescue operations for days and rescued 11 hostages as of the 20th.
On the 17th, a group of armed men attacked a public high school in the Birningyaori area of Kebbi State, kidnapping 94 students and 8 faculty and staff. The military tracked the kidnappers in the jungle and intercepted them with the support of the Air Force in the early morning of the 18th, resulting in an exchange of fire. The armed men then dispersed and fled, and the military continued to track for days, searching for the kidnapped teachers and students.
The military confirmed in a statement that it has rescued 8 students and 3 teachers and killed an militant.
According to the school’s disclosure, armed personnel used some students’ mobile phones to call their parents, asking for a ransom of 60 million naira (about 146,000 US dollars). The principal, Mustafa Youssef, confirmed on the 20th that three students had died, two girls and one boy.
School teacher Osman Aliyu told the media that most of the kidnapped students were girls. At the time of the incident, armed men “killed a policeman, broke into the school gate, and went straight to the classroom where the students were.”
According to Reuters, this is the third mass kidnapping incident in northwestern Nigeria in the past three weeks. The kidnapping by armed men was intended for ransom.
Some observers reminded that if a ransom is paid in exchange for the release of a kidnapped person, it may increase the arrogance of criminals and worsen the security situation.
Recently, armed men have frequently harassed residents in northwest and central Nigeria by looting villages, stealing livestock, and carrying out kidnappings. Since December 2020, more than 800 students in these areas have been kidnapped, and some of the hostages have been rescued.
(Edited by Zhou Yuhui)