Over 300 schoolgirls have been kidnapped from their boarding school in Jangebe, Zamfara state, Nigeria early Friday morning.
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Local authorities reported that the girls may have been taken to a nearby forest after being kidnapped from their school. A teacher who witnessed the kidnapping said the gunmen were dressed like government security officials and forced the children into multiple vans. Other witnesses said they saw the men enter the school on foot and over 100 armed men infiltrated the campus.
“They broke the school gate and shot at the security man. Then they moved into the hostels and woke up the girls, telling them it was time for prayers. After gathering all of them, the girls were crying and they took them away to the forest. They were also shooting in the air as they were marching to the forest,”
Although officials want to take action against the kidnappers, President Muhammadu Buhari said there were concerns that the gunmen may use the girls as “human shields” and their goal is to rescue them safely. Last week, 42 people were kidnapped in Kagara and haven’t been released to safety.
🇳🇬 – Imágenes de la escuela donde fueron secuestradas más de 300 niñas en Jangebe, estado de Zamfara.
El grupo armado desconocido ingreso al establecimiento vestidos con uniforme de las fuerzas de seguridad nigerianas. https://t.co/z9uzs2C41P pic.twitter.com/IRCbaYb6ld— El Druso (@Eldruso) February 26, 2021
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In the aftermath of the kidnapping, only 55 students have been accounted for as reported by Yahoo! News, and no groups have claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.