Three weeks after the horrific attack and abduction of an unspecified number of Salihu Tanko Islamiyya School at Tegina in Rafi LGA of Niger State, Northcentral Nigeria.
Niger state is among the most affected state hit by kidnapping and cattle rustling in Nigeria.
Residents have started fleeing the town since the abduction of the pupils, business is no longer, as usual, farmers decried threat to life as they suspending activities for fear of attack by the bandits.
Abubakar Tegina, the founder of the Islamic school, said he witnessed the attack, saying: “I personally saw between 20 and 25 motorcycles with heavily armed people. They entered the school and went away with about 150 or more of the students.”
Although some of the abductees later escaped reuniting with their parents, most of them are still being held captive by the bandits, who are demanding hundreds of millions of naira while also threatening to kill the children.
According to Daily Trust, the parents and the school management and the Kagara Emirate Council said they had been barred from granting interviews to journalists until the students are rescued, some of them who spoke with Daily Trust Saturday on the condition of anonymity said they were devastated.
One of the parents, whose two children – a boy and a girl – were abducted said, “I have been devastated since the abduction of my two children, but as a Muslim, I have left everything in the hands of God.”
He said two of his relatives also had their children abducted. “On that fateful day, I was in my shop with my friend when I sighted the bandits emerging on motorbikes in their numbers. They started shooting sporadically to scare away residents. This caused panic as people were running helter-skelter.
“They ended up at the school and abducted the children, including mine. I personally ran to a neighbor’s house and hid inside a well to escape them. They went to my house and searched everywhere but couldn’t find me,” the visibly distraught parent said.
While acknowledging the efforts of the government in trying to secure their release, he said, “I have hope that they would be released if they are still alive. I appeal to the government to do more in securing their freedom.
“Government should also try to do something to secure education because if left the way it is now, our future is doomed.”
He, however, said he would still allow his children to go to school despite the abduction.
Another parent, who wouldn’t want his name mentioned because of the instruction to stop granting media interviews, said he developed a heart attack following the abduction of his two children – all boys.
“On that fateful Sunday, I went to Zungeru market, and on my way back I discovered that the road was blocked by the bandits. I was forced to hide somewhere inside the bush until about 20 minutes when they completed their operation, then I made my way home.
“They later passed through my house and were shooting sporadically. Fortunately, one of my abducted children escaped,” he said.
He said there had been no direct communication between the bandits and him, except through the security committee put in place.
“Following the incident, I developed a heart attack and went to the hospital for medical attention. One of my abducted children had even completed primary school and I was making efforts to take him to secondary school.
“I am appealing to the government to come to our assistance in securing their release.
“There is tension everywhere, even as businesses and farming activities have been paralyzed,” he said.
Another parent, whose boy and the girl were abducted, said he was in his provision shop that fateful day when they came.
“We hurriedly closed our shops. There was a shooting and I personally hid in a neighbor’s house.
“There has not been any communication except through the security committee. My business has collapsed. This morning there was panic following information that they were coming. Government should come to our assistance,” he said.
