Army Troops Abort Attempt to Kidnap Students

Troops of the Nigerian Army have foiled another attempt by bandits to abduct students at Government Science Secondary school in the Ikara Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs in the state, Samuel Aruwan, disclosed this on Sunday during a press conference in Kaduna.

He said the bandits invaded the school in the late hours of Saturday and attempted to abduct the students before the arrival of soldiers who engaged the criminals in a gun battle.

Aruwan said that the students utilised the security warning system in place, and were able to alert security forces in the area that moved swiftly to the school and engaged the bandits, forcing them to flee.

“Between the late hours of Saturday night and early hours of today, suspected bandits stormed the Government Science Secondary School Ikara in Ikara Local Government Area in an attempt to kidnap students,” the commissioner said.

“The security forces comprising the troops of the Nigerian Army, police and some security volunteers moved swiftly to the school and engaged the bandits forcing them to flee. The military and the police are still on the trail of the armed bandits.”

He further said that no student was missing following a headcount after the foiled kidnap attempt.

Similarly, the Commissioner revealed that troops of the Nigerian Airforce foiled another attack by bandits at the Kaduna International airport senior staff quarters around Ifira village in the Igabi local government area.

He explained that the troops engaged the bandits in a gun battle, forcing some of them to flee with gunshot wounds.

This comes 24 hours after armed bandits attempted to abduct students of the Turkish International Secondary School in Kaduna State.

Acting on a tip-off on the impending abduction of the school children in the Rigachikun area of the state, troops of Quick Response Force of 1 Division of the army quickly mobilised to protect the school from the bandits.

Brigadier General Mohammed Yerima, who is the Director of Army Public Relations, disclosed this in a statement.

While the troops were securing the school, the army spokesman said another distress call was received that bandits had stormed the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation in Afaka.

He explained that the troops swiftly moved to the scene in the Igabi Local Government Area of the state and decisively engaged the armed bandits to prevent them from kidnapping the staff and students of the school.