One student killed as troops rescue five abducted from Kebbi school

One of the students abducted by bandits who attacked the Federal Government College, Birnin-Yauri in Kebbi state, has been killed.

Abubakar AbdulKadir, deputy force commander of the joint taskforce in the north-west, disclosed this to reporters on Friday.

He, however, added that five others including four students and a teacher were rescued during a gun battle by the bandits.

The number of students abducted by the gunmen during the attack on Thursday afternoon is yet to be confirmed.

However, local media reported that about 30 of the students were taken hostage.

AbdulKadir said troops engaged the bandits in a gun duel on Friday morning, forcing them to abandon five of their captives.

“In the early hours of this morning, we have come across the kidnappers. They came to our blocking point, and we engaged them,” he said.

“At that point, they abandoned five of the students and one of the teachers. Unfortunately, I think we have lost one of the students.”

The kidnap is the latest in a series of violent attacks targeted at schools in northern Nigeria.

Not less than 700 students have been abducted in the attacks since December 2020.

Since April 2014 when Nigeria suffered the first mass abduction of students — then by Boko Haram in Chibok, Borno state, more then 1,200 students have been taken hostage in similar incidents.