25 schoolgirls in Nigeria abducted in armed attack

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More than 2 twelve schoolgirls person been abducted and 1 staffer has been killed aft gunmen attacked a precocious schoolhouse successful northwestern Nigeria, constabulary said successful the region.

No radical instantly claimed work for the abductions of 25 girls from the boarding schoolhouse successful Kebbi state, and the information for the onslaught is unclear.

Nigeria has been facing a multi-dimensional information situation with threats from a scope of antithetic groups. Armed bandits who specialize successful kidnapping for ransom — sometimes totaling thousands of dollars — person been liable for respective high-profile abductions crossed Nigeria's bluish region. Kidnappings and attacks connected villages and on large roads person go communal due to the fact that of the constricted information presence.

Those bandits are not connected to militant groups specified arsenic Boko Haram and the splinter radical Islamic State West Africa Province, whose attacks connected communities and authorities installations are motivated by religion.

Police said the boarding schoolhouse girls were taken from their dorms astatine astir 4 a.m. Monday. The schoolhouse is successful Maga, successful the state's Danko-Wasagu area, constabulary spokesperson Nafi'u Abubakar Kotarkoshi said.

The assailants were equipped with "sophisticated weapons" and exchanged occurrence with guards earlier abducting the girls, Kotarkoshi said.

"A combined squad is presently combing suspected flight routes and surrounding forests successful a coordinated hunt and rescue cognition aimed astatine recovering the abducted students and arresting the perpetrators," the spokesperson said.

Attacks person targeted schoolchildren successful the portion since astatine slightest 2014, erstwhile Boko Haram abducted 276 students from Chibok successful Borno state. That abduction marked the opening of a caller epoch of fear. Dozens stay successful captivity.

Since the Chibok abductions, astatine slightest 1,500 students person been kidnapped, arsenic equipped groups progressively find successful abductions a lucrative mode to money different crimes and power villages successful the nation's mineral-rich but poorly policed region. In March 2024, much than 130 schoolchildren were rescued aft spending much than 2 weeks successful captivity successful the Nigerian authorities of Kaduna.