Suspected bandits attacked the Government Boys Science Secondary School, Kankara, Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State on Friday evening and reportedly abducted an unspecified number of students from the boarding house.
The attack occurred few hours after President Muhammadu Buhari arrived Katsina enroute his home town, Daura. Eyewitness accounts said the bandits had earlier attacked the Kankara town at about 10 pm and apparently failed in their bid to abduct some of the residents. According to a government official resident in the area who pleaded anonymity, “the bandits attacked Kankara town and wounded a number of people last night beginning from at about some minutes to 10 pm. “But soldiers of Operation Sahel Sanity and Operation Hadarin Daji succeeded in repelling the attack following which the bandits fled and later abducted some students at the Government Boys Science Secondary School which is located on the outskirts of Kankara town.
Confirming the report to our correspondent, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) at the Katsina Police command, SP Gambo Isah, said that, “yes, it is true that some bandits attacked the school at about 11 pm last night but we are yet to ascertain the number of students abducted. “The hoodlums broke down the school fence and in the course of the attack, some of the students fled the school with some of them seeking cover in the bush and other locations in the area. “This morning (Saturday), the DPO in the area reported that some of the students have been sighted when they came out from hiding and that is why we cannot say for sure how many of them were abducted if any.
“A policeman was wounded at the school during the incident and he is currently responding to treatment,” the PPRO said. Kankara is one of the eight local government areas described as “front line” where suspected bandits and kidnappers exploit the proximity to the notorious Rugu forest to carry out their activities. Some of the other local government areas include, the neighbouring Faskari which hosts the Army special squad, Operation Sahel Sanity, Jibia, Batsari and Dutsinma, among others.
