The Police Command in Zamfara State on Friday confirmed that bandits kidnapped 317 female students at the Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe, Talata Mafara Local Government Area in the early hours of Friday.
The Public Relations Officer, of the Zamfara State Police Command, Superintendent of Police (SP) Mohammed Shehu, in a statement, indicated that the State Commissioner of Police, Abutu Yaro, the Force Commander Operations, Hadarin Daji, Major General Aminu Bande, Commander 1 Brigade of the Nigerian Army Gusau, and some State Government officials led a heavily armed reinforcement team to Jangebe for rescue intervention.
SP Mohammed Shehu said that the reinforcement is to complement ongoing rescue operation in the area where the students are believed to be hidden.
The bandits had invaded the school at about 1.00am on Friday while the students were on their bed, forced them into their convoy to be whisked away.
Kidnapping of school children has become rampant in the northwest as governors allegedly roll out millions for ransom, while rewarding claimed repentant bandits, especially in Zamfara State, with millions of naira. More so, an Islamic teacher, Sheikh Gumi, has become famous in recent time for interventions, negotiation of ransom and subsequent release of kidnapped victims by the bandits. The kidnapping trade has pervaded Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger states.
Meanwhile, the Zamfara State CP has urged the School Principal and the parents to be calm, adding that joint efforts of the Police and other security agencies rescue operations will assuredly yield positive results.