President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the abduction of students from the Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State.
Armed men suspected to be bandits had on Friday invaded the boarding school, abducting a yet-to-be ascertained number of students.
The attack happened on the day the President paid his first visit to Katsina, where he hails from, in 2020.
Reacting, Buhari in a statement on Saturday signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, urged the army and the police to go after the gunmen to ensure that no student is missing or harmed.
The President urged the school authorities to carry out an audit of the population of the students following shootings in and around the school that sent hundreds of them fleeing and scrambling over perimeter walls.
Part of the statement read, “I strongly condemn the cowardly bandits’ attack on innocent children at the Science School, Kankara. Our prayers are with the families of the students, the school authorities and the injured,” said President Buhari while pledging to continue to support the police and military struggle against terrorists and bandits.
“Parents who rushed to the school and removed their children and wards were also required to notify the school and police authorities to have a full account of the school population.
“In the latest briefing received by the President from Governor Aminu Bello Masari, with whom he has been in touch, and the Army Chief of Staff, General Tukur Buratai, the military, supported by airpower has located the bandits’ enclave at Zango/Paula forest in Kankara, and there has been an exchange of fire in an ongoing operation. Police said so far; there has not been reported any student casualty.”
The President has directed the reinforcement of security of all schools in line with the safe-school policy of the administration.
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