Nigeria has ordered the closure of all schools in its northwestern Zamfara State following the kidnapping of dozens of students by gunmen. According to local police, at least 73 students had been kidnapped from a state-run school.
Authorities said that "armed bandits" had broken into a school in Zamfara's Maradun district and abducted its students. Zamfara State Police Command said they are now conducting search and rescue operations together with the Nigerian military.
As a precautionary measure, the Nigerian government has deployed troops to beef up the security in the region. Officials said the forced closures of the schools and the deployment of troops are meant to dissuade further attacks and kidnappings.
Zamfara's Information Commissioner, Ibrahim Dosara, said all primary and secondary schools in the state have been ordered to close down. Some schools that are currently conducting examinations will be allowed to remain open. However, heavy security will be deployed at the schools until their finish their examinations, Dosara said.
The latest abductions come just days after 91 students were kidnapped by armed men in Nigeria's Niger State. The students were eventually released after their families paid the thousands of dollars in ransom demanded by the captors.
UNICEF's representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, said the continued kidnappings in the country have greatly impacted children's education and national security. He said the latest incident not only affects the lives of the 73 abducted children but also those who are now unable to go to school and learn.
According to UNICEF, more than 1.3 million Nigerian children have been affected by the frequent abductions in the country. Kidnap for ransom has become a lucrative business for armed groups in the region and a major security challenge for the local and the national government.
In February, more than 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped from the town of Jangebe. The students had been released but the government insisted that no ransom was paid to the captors. According to a report from SMB Intelligence, about $18.34 million was likely spent on random in Nigeria between June 2011 and March 2020.
Amnesty International said the latest incident was "disturbing" and those responsible for kidnappings in the country should be charged with war crimes.
"The children abducted are at serious risk of being harmed. Nigerian authorities must take all measures to return them to safety," the organization said.
