Names of Students Abducted in Zamfara Emerge
Terrorists stormed an off-campus hostel today in Zamfara, northwestern Nigeria, and abducted at least six students of the Federal Polytechnic, Kaura Namoda. Students and staff members of the polytechnic had been opting for off-campus housing in recent times in order to avoid being abducted from school.
Hours after residents went to bed on the morning of Wednesday, June 3, sounds of gunshots pierced through the air as terrorists circled an off-campus hostel housing some students of the Federal Polytechnic Kaura Namoda in Zamfara State, northwestern Nigeria. The hostel, located in the Low-cost area, is meters away from a military checkpoint, according to residents.
Students at the polytechnic had increasingly been moving into off-campus housing to avoid being abducted from their school.
As fear of what might happen enveloped people, the terrorists compromised the gate of the hostel and took away eight students of the polytechnic. Even as they fled with the students, they continued to fire shots in the air.
“Two of the students, Favour and Joshua Sunday, escaped while being taken away by the terrorists,” a resident who simply gave his name as Musa told HumAngle. “My house is not far from Oga Bulu’s house, which shares a wall with the house the students live in. I heard the gunshots and heard when they were leaving with the students.”
Since 2015, terrorists have terrorised the sub-region. Their activities have led to the death of thousands of people and the displacement of over a million. Attacks on schools and students have been on the increase since 2020, when terrorists stormed Government Science Secondary, Kankara and abducted 300 pupils.
Zamfara, which is considered the hotbed of the crisis, has recorded several school abductions in Jangebe, where over 300 schoolgirls were abducted, in Federal University, Gusau, where 24 students were abducted, and at the College of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Bakura, where 15 students were abducted.
Musa, the source, says Joshua Sunday told them six students (three men and three women) have been taken.
HumAngle reports that the Kaura Namoda area and other communities in Maradun and Bungudu fall under areas where the notorious terrorist leader, Bello Dan Sadiya, controls.
An administrative staff member of the Polytechnic, who asked not to be named, told HumAngle over the phone that several staff members of the institution have relocated to Gusau, the state capital, for fear of being attacked. “Even me, I’ve relocated my family to Gusau. We have two staff, all senior lecturers, who are still with the bandits after they were abducted two months ago,” he said.
He said a ransom has been paid for the release of the lecturers, but the terrorists have continued to hold them.
Federal Polytechnic Kaura is located on the road to Shinkafi and Zurmi LGA, two areas in the northern part of Zamfara State that have witnessed repeated terrorist attacks.
The police public relations officer in the state, DSP Yazid Abubakar, confirmed the abduction and promised to release a statement, but has yet to do so.
Local authorities blame informants for the escalation of attacks in the town centre. The Chairman of the area, Mannir Haidara Kaura, told DW Hausa that the state government has taken measures to tackle the terrorists, but informants are sabotaging the efforts.
Terrorists attacked an off-campus hostel at Federal Polytechnic Kaura Namoda, Zamfara State, Nigeria, abducting eight students amid gunfire.
Situated near a military checkpoint, the hostel had become a refuge for students avoiding school abductions, a rising trend since 2020.
Some students managed to escape, but others remain captive, highlighting the ongoing threat posed by armed groups under leaders like Bello Dan Sadiya.
Amidst escalating violence, many polytechnic staff and residents have relocated to safer areas, with efforts to resolve the crisis hampered by informants.
Despite a ransom payment, senior lecturers remain hostage, prompting criticism of local government's counter-terrorism measures.
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