Abuja:
Gunmen seized 136 children from an Islamic seminary in central Nigeria at the weekend, the state government stated, the newest in a string of such incidents plaguing Africa’s most populous nation.
The Niger state government 1st reported the raid on the college in the town of Tegina on Monday, but did not indicate the quantity of children seized.
Armed gangs are terrorising inhabitants in northwest and central Nigeria by looting villages, stealing cattle, and taking persons hostage.
More than 700 children and students have currently been kidnapped by gunmen for ransom considering that December.
“Niger State Government has confirmed the number of students abducted by bandits at the Salihu Tanko Islamic School, Tegina… to be 136,” the regional government wrote on Twitter late on Wednesday.
The state deputy governor Alh Ahmed Mohammed Ketso stated that safety agencies have been “doing their best but don’t have enough logistics,” adding that more support was necessary to equip them to confront the criminals.
The attackers did release 11 of the pupils who have been “too small and couldn’t walk” extremely far, the authorities previously stated.
The Niger state government stated it did not spend ransoms.
“We are trying to negotiate to see how we can bring them back safely,” the deputy governor stated.
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