*As US govt condemns mass abductions, pledges support to rescue victims
Bandits have abducted 15 Tsangaya schoolchildren and one woman at Gidan Bukaso, Gada Local Government Area (LGA) of Sokoto State.
Police authorities in the State confirmed the incident, which happened around 10:00 am on Saturday, when the bandits invaded the community.
Spokesman of the Sokoto State Police Command, Ahmed Rufai, said as the bandits made their way out of the town, they sighted the students rushing into their rooms, and went ahead to abduct some of them. He, however, did not put a figure to the number of persons abducted.
Rufai said the Sangaya Islamic School belongs to one Malam Liman Abubakar.
He explained that the abducted woman was also taken from the school.
While no life was lost in the attack, police authorities have mobilized to the village for a rescue operation to ensure the children are brought back unhurt.
The attack happened hours before the Sokoto State Government held a ceremony for the passing out of its Community Guards Corps, a security outfit aimed at tackling banditry and other crimes in the North-West State.
Saturday’s abduction is the latest in the renewed kidnapping of students in Nigeria.
Earlier in the week, precisely on Thursday, bandits took away over 200 students in Kaduna State.
That incident has drawn condemnation from wide and near including UNICEF, Amnesty International, and a host of other agencies and personalities. President Bola Tinubu has also ordered the immediate rescue of the students.
The recent spate of kidnapping in the country led First Lady, Remi Tinubu, to advocate death penalty for abductors, whom she described as “cowards”.
Meanwhile, the United States Mission in Nigeria has condemned the abduction of scores of school children and women in Kaduna State.
The US Mission in Nigeria via its official X page on Saturday also condemned the displaced persons abducted in Borno State, Northeast Nigeria, where suspected Boko Haram terrorists had kidnapped over 100 internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The US mission also urged the Nigerian government to arrest the perpetrators and make sure they face the consequences.
The United States government pledged its support to Nigeria’s effort to secure release of affected victims.
The Mission conveyed its condemnation through a statement, which read:
The United States strongly condemns the kidnapping of schoolchildren in Kaduna and displaced persons in Borno. Our hearts go out to the victims’ families. We stand with you in demanding the perpetrators face justice and the immediate, safe return of all taken. We support…
“We support Nigeria’s efforts to secure their release,” the statement added.
Also, the White House National Security Advisor to the President of the United States, James Sullivan, strongly condemned the recent kidnappings, emphasizing the USA’s commitment to working with Nigeria to rescue the abductees.
Sullivan wrote: “We condemn the recent kidnappings of displaced persons in Borno State and school children & staff in Kaduna State, Nigeria.
“We stand with Nigeria in demanding the immediate safe return of these innocent civilians and call for perpetrators to be held to account.””