Katsina School Abduction: 333 Students Missing -Masari

Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, yesterday confirmed that a total of 333 students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, are still missing.

The governor stated this while briefing the federal government delegation to Katsina led by Minister of Defence, Salihi Magashi, at the Katsina Government House. The delegation also included the service chiefs.

The governor also confirmed that the school has a total population of 839 students before the incident happened.

“Based on the available record we have, we are still searching for 333 students through either the forest or their parents to ascertain the actual number that has been kidnapped.

“We are still counting because more are coming out from the forest and we are calling through the numbers those parents that have phone numbers to find out whether or not their children have gone back home”, Masari said.

Magashi had also asked the armed forces, the police and other security agencies to move faster to ensure the speedy rescue of the students in the next coming hours.

“We are here also to sympathise with you over the recent abduction of secondary school students which is a more or less ruthless exercise conducted to temper with the education of the students.”

“With the brief, we received from the sister security agencies in the state, this task will be very simple to accomplish within the next few hours, we will ensure that these people are back without any collateral damage to the people of Katsina State.”

IGP Deploys More Personnel, Rescue Equipment

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohamed Abubakar Adamu, has ordered the deployment of additional operational and investigative assets to support the ongoing search and rescue operations in Kankara and its environs in Katsina State.

The deployment is sequel to the unfortunate attack on Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, and Katsina State by heavily armed men on Friday which left some of the students missing.

A statement issued by the police spokesperson, DCP Frank Mba, said the deployment which includes personnel from the Police Tactical Squads and crack detectives from the Force Intelligence Bureau, would provide investigative support to the Katsina State Police Command.

Mba said the personnel are also to work in sync with the military and other law enforcement agents in coordinated efforts aimed at rescuing the students, hunting down the perpetrators and bringing them to book.

According to him, investigation has so far revealed that one of the attackers was killed and a policeman injured during the attack.

He said the exact number of students missing cannot be ascertained at the moment as massive operations including investigations, search and rescue exercise are still ongoing.

“Meanwhile, the IGP has ordered the immediate review and strengthening of security arrangements around educational institutions in the Country”, he said.

Report stated that the Shura Council of ISIS in West Africa, the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) has appointed one Aliyu Chakkar as its new ‘Governor’ of the Lake Chad’ region.

He is to replace Amir Goni Maina, said to had been eliminated by the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Air Force coordinated bombardment.

The development came as the jihadists were in the process of conducting a strategic leadership and operational meeting at a location called Sabon Tumbu, on December 1 2020.

The damage assessment of the targeted aerial strike showed that it killed the former jihadist ‘governor’ Amir Goni Maina.

 While the other parallel precision air strikes at jihadists camps in Ingilwa, Tundun Wulgo, Jubularam and Abbaganaram fridges of the Lake Chad, led to the elimination of more than 100 jihadist.

Those killed, included several high-ranking insurgents’ commanders, foot soldiers and Hisbah police.

The information further added that most of the casualties were from the ISWAP faction, Abubakar Shekau faction and foreign mercenaries.

Sources further disclosed that the newly appointed ‘governor’ and Lake Chad basin warlord was spotted enroots to “debrief” Amir Ba-Lawan,  the ISWAP leader in a location revealed as KOYOWA, which is the known Headquarters and strongest hold of the ISIS-affiliated West Africa province branch.

IGP Deploys More Personnel, Rescue  

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohamed Abubakar Adamu, has ordered the deployment of additional operational and investigative assets to support the ongoing search and rescue operations in Kankara and its environs in Katsina State.

The deployment is sequel to the unfortunate attack on Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State by heavily armed men on Friday which left some of the students missing. 
A statement issued by the police spokesperson, DCP Frank Mba, said the deployment which includes personnel from the Police Tactical Squads and crack detectives from the Force Intelligence Bureau, would provide investigative support to the Katsina State Police Command. 

Mba said the personnel are also to work in sync with the military and other law enforcement agents in coordinated efforts aimed at rescuing the students, hunting down the perpetrators and bringing them to book. 

According to him, investigations has so far reveal that one of the attackers was killed and a policeman injured during the attack.
He said the exact number of students missing cannot be ascertained at the moment as massive operations including investigations, search and rescue exercise are still ongoing. 

“Meanwhile, the IGP has ordered the immediate review and strengthening of security arrangements around educational institutions in the Country”, he said.

Dailyasset