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Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari condemned an attack by armed men on a public secondary school in northwestern Katsina state, calling on security agencies to prosecute the attackers to ensure that no students either missing or injured.
On Saturday, Buhari also ordered the increased security of all schools in line with government security policy following the gunmen attack on Friday at the Government Science Secondary School (GSSS) in the region. of Kankara State.
“I strongly condemn the attack by cowardly bandits against innocent children at the Kankara science school,” the Nigerian leader said in a statement while pledging to continue to support the police and the army in their struggle against terrorists and bandits.
Buhari said the army, backed by air power, had located the bandit enclave in Zango-Paula Forest in Kankara, and that there had been an exchange of fire in an ongoing operation.
He urged local school authorities to immediately conduct an audit of the student population following the shootings in and around the school that sent hundreds of them fleeing and crawling on the perimeter walls. . Earlier reports indicated that some students may have been kidnapped during the attack which lasted for about an hour.
In rapid response to the attack and to prevent future incidents, Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari on Saturday ordered the immediate closure of GSSS and all boarding schools in the state.
Speaking when he and other government officials, parents, traditional and religious leaders, and security officials visited the school, Masari pleaded with people to be patient and to show restraint and understanding, assuring them that the government would do whatever is necessary to secure the release of any abducted student.
He said the security agencies got into action and were on the trail of the bandits. Masari assured residents that the federal and state governments are doing their best to stop banditry and other debilitating criminal activity in the state.
Police confirmed that more than 200 students returned to the school premises after being rescued by police.
Most of them jumped over the school fence into the bush and other nearby places to hide as the gunmen attacked, Gambo Isah, police spokesman said. to Xinhua in a telephone interview.
Isah said police and school officials were working together to find out the exact number of students who did not return.
“We are still counting the numbers to determine whether or not the bandits may have kidnapped one of the students,” he said.
According to the police spokesperson, no students were killed in the attack on Friday evening. He noted, however, that numerous gunmen had attacked the school with dangerous weapons.
He added that the gunmen shot at one of the security guards at the gate who is currently under treatment.
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