Hours after Buhari arrives in Katsina, terrorists welcome him with attack on school, 600 missing

Just a few hours after the leader of the Nigerian junta Muhammadu Buhari arrived in his home state of Katsina, bandits attacked a school killing a policeman and others and kidnapped school children.

At least 600 out of 800 students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina State are missing, following the attack by armed bandits yesterday night.

Kankara town has been a target of kidnapping and banditry for many years.

A schoolteacher who witnessed the attack said the bandits launched the attack shortly after prep at 9:30pm.

He said the bandits started shooting sporadically in the air, causing commotion and stampede before scaling over the fence and breaking the gate.

According to him, the school has over 800 students, with the exception of JS3 and SS3 students who are now out of school.

He said so far 600 students are yet to return to the school several hours after the attack. “We are still hoping that some of them might return. We believe some of them fled the attack and ran into the bush,” he said.

The teacher said the bandits, after gathering the students in one place, shepherded them towards Pauwa village, where they kept dozens of motorcycles.

In an interview with the BBC, the spokesman for the Katsina State Police Command, DSP Gambo Isa, confirmed the attack, saying a policeman sustained gun injury when their men engaged the bandits.

He said the police have beefed up security around the area to forestall future recurrence and restore normalcy.