Gunmen raided a school in the northwest region of Nigeria on Thursday and abducted 287 students.This is the second time in less than a week that a large number of students have been kidnapped in Nigeria.
Many students are being taken from schools in northern Nigeria. This has been happening a lot and has been worrying people since 2014, when Islamic extremists kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls in Chibok village in Borno state. Lately, many kidnappings have been happening in the northwestern and central areas. Armed groups are taking villagers and travelers and asking for a lot of money to let them go.
People who live there told the news organization The Associated Press that on Thursday, some attackers surrounded the school that is owned by the government in the town of Kuriga in Kaduna State. This happened just as the children were getting ready to start their school day around 8 a. m
Government officials previously stated that over 100 students were captured in the attack. Sani Abdullahi, the person in charge of the school, spoke to the governor of Kaduna. “When Uba Sani visited the town, he found out that 287 people were missing after a headcount. ”
“We will make sure that all the children return. ” “We are working with the police and other security teams,” the governor told people in the village which is 55 miles away from the capital.
No one said they did the attack on Thursday, but people think it was done by armed herders. They have been accused of attacking and kidnapping people for money after fighting with local communities for a long time.
The police and the governor came hours later to look for more things, while people and parents waited for information.
The attack happened a few days after over 200 people, mostly women and children, were taken by extremists in northeastern Nigeria.
Women, kids, and students are often kidnapped in the conflict-affected northern area, and many of them are only released when their families pay a lot of money.
Experts say that both attacks show that Nigeria’s security situation is getting worse. In 2023, several hundred people died because of the country’s security crisis.
Bola Tinubu became the president of Nigeria last year. He said he would stop the fighting. But according to Oluwole Ojewale, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, there hasn’t been much improvement in security under Tinubu’s leadership.
Tag: Pupils
-
287 pupils kidnapped by gunmen in most recent Nigerian school raid – Headteacher
-
Budgie smugglers target schools, traumatising youngsters and leaving them in tears
Pupils were left “in tears” after heinous burglars stormed into their school in North Bristol and took 20 of their beloved budgies.
Years ago, budgies living in an outside aviary would sing, trill, and warble as pupils and teachers at Brentry Primary School entered the building.
CCTV captured the moment smugglers broke into the school’s grounds on Wednesday at about 11:30 p.m. and grabbed the birds from three breeding boxes.
Yesterday morning, the school’s caretaker was shocked to see the now silent and empty cage.
The news left the school students and staff alike ‘heartbroken’ (Picture: Avon and Somerset Constabulary / SWNS) The thieves likely couldn’t fit all the birds into the boxes, meaning some might have flown away into the frosty night, said school business manager, Hannah Jack.
Now the school is appealing to residents to come forward if they know anything about the theft or if they’ve seen people suddenly selling budgies.
Hannah said: ‘It is absolutely heartbreaking. We are all devastated, we’ve had teachers in tears, children in tears.
‘They really are part of the family, everyone loves them and it’s so terrible they’ve been taken like this. Why would someone do this?’
The school first took in two budgies seven years ago, with by pure chance a third bird being rescued from a drain on the school site.
A purpose-built aviary was made for the dainty parakeets in 2018 during a school refurbishment.
The school built an aviary for the budgies. For a typical budgie, the aviary was a five-star resort, with heated areas and plenty of room to fly about.
Soon enough, more of the brightly-feathered birds were donated to the school and some had babies.
‘The Year 6s are responsible for them, and it’s a big thing,’ said Hannah, who is also chair of the PTA.
‘They have to feed and water them, clean the aviary out and look after them. At the weekends, the site caretaker looks after them. They are well-loved and it’s been lovely that they’ve been able to breed.’
‘It’s just so awful that someone would do this,’ she added.
‘They’ve climbed into the reception play area and then got round to the aviary, smashed open the bolt and got in.
‘It’s just so sad.’
A school official fears that any escaped birds will perish outside in the cold (Picture: Avon and Somerset Constabulary / SWNS) Hannah is doubtful about whether their kids will ever be reunited with their pets.
‘We’re not hopeful we’re going to get them back,’ Hannad added, ‘but someone must know something about where they are now.’
Budgies, also called budgerigars, are native to the warm and dry plains of the Australian Outback.
With their small bodies being built to survive toastier temperatures, budgies struggle in anything below 15°C as the risk of hypothermia grows.
Amid a nationwide cold snap, the mercury in Bristol has been in the low single-digits for days – today will be a high of only 4°C.
‘The ones that might have flown away, they won’t survive. It’s too cold and they’ll get attacked too,’ Hannah added.
Avon and Somerset police are collecting dashcams and CCTV from people who may have filmed the incident.
‘Police are appealing for witnesses and information after thieves stole around 15 budgerigars from an aviary at Brentry Primary School at about 11.30pm last night, Wednesday 8 March,’ a spokesperson said.