A large number of children were abducted by armed men in a Quran school (a type of Islamic religious education), apparently in exchange for a ransom. Nigeria, Officials and residents of the area said on Sunday (30). The college is located in the north-central part of the country, an area that is often a scenario for this type of crime.
The government of the Nigerian state of Niger reported on Twitter, “A still undetermined number of students have been kidnapped in an Islamic school Salihu Tanko along with passengers in a bus.” The source said that the kidnapping happened after an attack by armed men against the school, where about 200 students are studying.
“The kidnappers freed 11 children, who were too young to walk,” the government said, calling it a “regrettable” act and increased kidnappings to pay ransom in the center and north of the country.
A board member said that at the time of the attack, there were 200 students in the Islamic school Salihu Tanku, but many managed to escape.
The officer told AFP, “At first they took more than 100 students, but then they left those they considered too young, who were between 4 and 12 years old.” He said that he did not have an exact figure of how many students were kidnapped.
The kidnapping occurred a day after 14 students from Kaduna State in northern Nigeria were released After 40 hijacked days.
Five students were killed by their hostages in the days following the abduction to pressure families and the government and to take ransom.
In the local press, many families claimed to have paid 180 million naira (US $ 435,800) to get their children back.
Armed groups known as “bandits” in the region operate in the Middle West and North-West of Nigeria, looting villages, stealing cattle and mass kidnapping in return for ransom.
Since December 2020, 730 children and teenagers have been kidnapped in school centers.
