OMM Newsroom
Families of 14 pupils abducted from an Islamic school in north-central Nigeria are waiting anxiously for news of their whereabouts and condition as security agencies work to secure their release, Anadolu Agency reported.
The pupils were taken on Saturday, Oct. 31, while helping the proprietor of their Islamic school harvest maize on a farm in Tungan-Bako village, in the Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.
The Niger State Police Command confirmed the abduction on Tuesday morning. Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said joint security rescue efforts were under way and that further information would be provided.
Ibrahim Aliyu, whose 12-year-old daughter was among those abducted, said the family was deeply worried about her safety and the conditions in which she was being held.
“The situation is emotionally draining. We don’t know where they are or what is being done to them, especially since they are female children. We are worried,” he said.
Another parent, Muinat Alimi, said the abductors were demanding food supplies and ransom in exchange for the children’s release.
School proprietor Malam Aminu Bako said all the pupils were girls aged between 10 and 15. He said he had not been contacted directly by the abductors, but had learned that some community leaders had been approached and demands made.
“I learnt that some leaders were contacted and demands were made,” he said, without giving details of the demands.
The abduction has renewed concerns among residents about the vulnerability of farming communities in Niger State, where armed groups have repeatedly carried out kidnappings and attacks on rural settlements.
As rescue efforts continue, parents are waiting for information about the children, whose daily lives were interrupted while they were helping with the harvest.
