Suspected bandits have kidnapped several pupils of an Islamiya school alongside a teacher while they were working on a farm in Niger State, according to Ripples Nigeria.
The incident occurred at Tungan-Bako village, situated in the Rafi Local Government Area of the state. The victims were helping to harvest maize on a farm belonging to the owner of their school when gunmen stormed the location, firing shots into the air before dragging the children into nearby bushes.
There are slight variations in the reported numbers of those seized. The Niger State Police Command confirmed that about 14 pupils were kidnapped, while initial local accounts placed the figure at 15 female students between the ages of 10 and 15, alongside a teacher.
The proprietor of the Islamiya school, Malam Aminu Bako, disclosed that he barely avoided being captured himself as he approached the farmland. Bako explained that he was roughly one kilometre away when he heard gunfire and screams, prompting him to tell his motorcycle rider to turn around immediately.
One of the armed men spotted them and gave chase on another motorcycle, only retreating once Bako and the rider reached a nearby security checkpoint. Bako noted that while the kidnappers had not reached out to him directly, they had reportedly approached some community leaders with demands.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that the kidnappers reached out to village leaders seeking food items and an unspecified ransom payment before they would free the victims. A parent of a 12-year-old captive expressed profound distress, lamenting the vulnerability of the young female students held in an unknown forest hideout.
The Public Relations Officer of the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed that the attack took place on the farm in Tungan-Bako. Abiodun said a joint rescue mission involving regular security personnel and local vigilante operatives has been activated to track the abductors, promising that updates will be provided as operations progress.
