In another devastating incident, gunmen have targeted a school in Nigeria, kidnapping at least 15 pupils in a dawn raid. The attack occurred in the Sokoto village of Gidan Bakuso, located in the north-western region of the country. The incident comes just days after a separate armed raid led to the abduction of approximately 300 children.

Liman Abubakar Bakuso, the owner of the school, recounted the terrifying incident, explaining that the gunmen broke into the school premises and began firing shots indiscriminately. The sudden chaos and fear woke the pupils, causing panic among them. Bakuso revealed that among the kidnapped students, the oldest is aged 20, while the others are all below the age of 13. Additionally, a woman was also taken captive.

The gravity of the situation has left the community in a state of panic, with prayers being offered for the safe release of the abductees. This incident adds to the growing concern surrounding the safety of Nigerian schools. Notably, the jihadist group Boko Haram first carried out school kidnappings over a decade ago, when they infamously seized more than 200 students from a girls' school in Chibok, Borno state. The incident sparked international outrage and brought attention to the issue of mass abductions.

The weakened security forces in Nigeria, already stretched thin due to combatting an ongoing Islamist insurgency in the north-east, leave vast areas unpoliced, allowing armed gangs to roam freely. The state governor in Kaduna revealed that 28 of the schoolchildren kidnapped earlier this week managed to escape their captors, providing a glimmer of hope amidst the continuous wave of kidnappings.

Until the recent incident in Kaduna, Nigeria experienced a lull in mass abductions from schools since July 2021 when around 150 students were forcibly taken by armed men. The recurrence of these tragic events highlights the urgent need for increased security measures and efforts to safeguard educational institutions in the country.

As authorities grapple with the ongoing challenges posed by these abductions, the hope for a swift and safe release of the kidnapped pupils remains at the forefront of everyone's minds.