Gunmen attack Kaduna school, kill man, kidnap students, teacher

Armed men on Monday attacked a school in Kaduna, killing one person and kidnapping seven students and a teacher, residents said.

The armed men killed a man and abducted seven students and a teacher of Prince Academy, located at Damba-Kasaya village in Chikun Local Government Area ofKaduna State.

The incident happened around 8 a.m. on Monday when the gunmen stormed the rural community while the students were preparing for their Junior secondary school examination.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the abducted students are JSS3 students who were among the exit students asked to resume by the federal and state government.

The kidnapped female teacher was identified as Christianah Madugu while the man who was reportedly shot dead was identified as Benjamin Auta, whose house is close to the school.

A youth in the area who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES, Akila? Barde, said the assailants arrived on motorcycles well armed.

“They came into the village shooting before they went to the school and picked the students who were receiving lessons in preparation for their Junior examination.

“They were all children from 12 years above. We confirmed seven students, male and female, were taken away.

“A teacher too, Christianah Madugu, was abducted alongside the students and another farmer was taken from his farm.

“A man who lives close to the school, Benjami Auta, was shot and died, leaving behind a nursing wife,” he said.

According to Mr Akila, some residents pursued the gunmen into the bush, forcing them to release some of the victims, separate from those taken away.

He also said the assailants torched some houses before fleeing the community.

Repeated efforts by PREMIUM TIMES to get the reactions of the police and the Kaduna State government to this latest incident have not been successful.

The Kaduna police spokesperson, Mohammed Jalige, did jot return calls or reply short messages on Monday night and Tuesday morning. The Kaduna commissioner for internal security, Samuel Aruwan, did not also return calls and messages to his phone.

The incident at the Chikun school is the latest in the spate of attacks by armed men on Kaduna communities and schools.

The state is one of the Northwest states that has suffered from repeated attacks by armed bandits. Other states such as Zamfara and Katsina also witness such attacks.

The attacks have continued despite the deployment of more soldiers and other security operatives to the state.