20 Students Abducted By Gunmen in Disturbing Attack

Clear Facts:

• Gunmen kidnapped at least 20 students near the Federal University Gusau in northwestern Nigeria.
• The majority of the victims are reported to be female.
• The incident is the latest in a series of school abductions in the troubled northern region of Nigeria.

In a harrowing incident near the Federal University Gusau in northwestern Nigeria, gunmen abducted at least 20 students from their accommodations.

Zamfara police spokesman Yazid Abubakar reported the abduction, noting that the total number of abductees, mostly females, is still unconfirmed, with some accounts suggesting it could be 24.

This alarming incident in Zamfara state’s Bungudu district is part of a recurring trend of student abductions in northern Nigeria, a trend that has been a persistent concern since the large-scale kidnapping of schoolgirls in Borno state in 2014 by Islamic extremists.

Addressing the circumstances of the latest abduction, Abdullahi Ilela, a resident of the community, conveyed, “The security forces, previously alerted to the situation, engaged the terrorists who subsequently retreated into the bush.”

This confrontation between assailants and security personnel underscores the ongoing security challenges in Nigeria’s remote communities.

The identity of the group behind the abduction remains unknown, but suspicions are primarily directed at bandit groups prevalent in Nigeria’s northwest and central regions.

Authorities believe these groups consist mostly of young pastoralists from the Fulani tribe involved in longstanding conflicts over land and water resources with host communities.

In response to this latest act of terror, a manhunt is in progress, as confirmed by police spokesman Yazid Abubakar.

“A combined search and rescue team made up of the police, the army, and the air force have embarked on the search and rescue,” he reported.

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