More than 300 students missing after attack in Nigerian school

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• A boarding school in Nigeria was attacked by unknown bandits, leaving hundreds of students still missing.\
• The Katsina State Police Command is still uncertain how many students were able to escape or how many are abducted.
• A military operation was launched in Zango-Paula Forest, but the authorities did not disclose whether there are children who were rescued.

Following an attack by shooters at an all-boys boarding school northwest of Nigeria, officials confirmed that hundreds of students are still nowhere to be found.

According to a statement from the spokesman of Katsina State Police Command, Gambo Isah, a group of assault rifle-carrying outlaws attacked on Friday night at the Government Science Secondary School of Kankara town, Katsina state.

In the same statement, Isah added that law enforcement officers exchanged gunfires with the attackers, giving some of the schoolboys the chance to run away from the danger. While over 200 students were already found, there are still about 400 others that are still missing.

But after discussing with security authorities on Sunday, Katsina state Gov. Aminu Bello Masari announced that the Government Science Secondary School has 839 registered students 333 are still declared missing. It was not yet determined though how many were taken that night.

The governor added that no faction or an individual yet had said they are behind the assault.

President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria ordered the school authorities to conduct an audit immediately to determine the exact number of those who are missing and those who were safe.

In his statement on Saturday, Buhari said his prayers go out to those who were harmed, the school officials, and all the student’s families.

The military force in Nigeria found the outlaws’ safe house in the adjacent Zango-Paula Forest. Another gunfight ensured during the police raid as reported by Buhari representative, Garba Shehu. While there are no casualties among the students during the operation, it was not yet clear if there are students who were rescued at that time.

A spokesman for the Nigerian Army, Col. Sagir Musa, hasn’t commented on inquiries by ABC News’ about possible assistance from the U.S. troops for a hostage rescue.

Parents of the students have assembled at the Government Science Secondary School in the last few days, imploring authorities to find their kids and voicing their disappointment about the erratic figures.

A parent of a missing student,  Malam Nasiru Ahmed, is worried about the safety of the children, who are either in danger of being killed converted into rebel soldiers.

The latest incident is the first attack on a school in the West African region since April 2014 when Boko, a rebellious group abducted 276 girls from their dorms at Chibok’s boarding school in the northeast region of Borno state. While some girls either escaped or rescued, some students remained unaccounted for.

Source: ABC News