Nigerian families await news of 300 kidnapped schoolgirls

Families in Nigeria waited anxiously for news of their abducted daughters after more than 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped by gunmen from a government school in the country's north last week, the latest in a series of mass school kidnappings in the West African nation.

Worried parents on Sunday gathered at the school, guarded by police. Aliyu Ladan Jangebe said his five daughters aged between 12 and 16 were at the school when the kidnappers stormed in. Four were taken away but one escaped by hiding in a bathroom with three other girls, he told The Associated Press.

Click to Gallery

From left, Kabiru Abdullahi Dangebe, who has five daughters missing, Isah Sulaiman, whose daughter is missing, Ismail Ladan, whose daughter is missing, and Luman Bala, whose younger sister is missing, wait for news of the more than 300 girls who were abducted by gunmen on Friday from the Government Girls Junior Secondary School, in Jangebe town, Zamfara state, northern Nigeria Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. Families in Nigeria waited anxiously on Sunday for news of their abducted daughters, the latest in a series of mass kidnappings of school students in the West African nation. (AP PhotoIbrahim Mansur)

Families in Nigeria waited anxiously for news of their abducted daughters after more than 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped by gunmen from a government school in the country's north last week, the latest in a series of mass school kidnappings in the West African nation.

Zubairu Sanusi, a chemistry teacher and father of two kidnapped girls at the boarding school where more than 300 girls were abducted by gunmen on Friday, speaks to The Associated Press in the town of in Jangebe, in Zamfara state, northern Nigeria Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. Nigerian police and the military have begun joint operations to rescue the more than 300 girls who were kidnapped from the Government Girls Junior Secondary School, according to a police spokesman. (AP PhotoIbrahim Mansur)

“We cannot imagine their situation,” he said of his missing daughters. Residents of a nearby village said the kidnappers had herded the girls through the town like animals, he said.

Security forces guard the Government Girls Junior Secondary School where more than 300 girls were abducted by gunmen on Friday, in Jangebe town, Zamfara state, northern Nigeria Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. Families in Nigeria waited anxiously on Sunday for news of their abducted daughters, the latest in a series of mass kidnappings of school students in the West African nation. (AP PhotoIbrahim Mansur)

The girls’ abduction has caused international outrage.

Parents of missing schoolgirls wait for news of the more than 300 girls who were abducted by gunmen on Friday from the Government Girls Junior Secondary School, in Jangebe town, Zamfara state, northern Nigeria Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. Families in Nigeria waited anxiously on Sunday for news of their abducted daughters, the latest in a series of mass kidnappings of school students in the West African nation. (AP PhotoIbrahim Mansur)

Last week, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the abductions and called for the girls’ “immediate and unconditional release” and safe return to their families. He called attacks on schools a grave violation of human rights and the rights of children, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Boko Haram is opposed to western education and its fighters often target schools. Other organized armed groups, locally called bandits, often abduct students for money. The government says large groups of armed men in Zamfara state are known to kidnap for money and to press for the release of their members held in jail.

Parents of missing schoolgirls wait for news of the more than 300 girls who were abducted by gunmen on Friday from the Government Girls Junior Secondary School, in Jangebe town, Zamfara state, northern Nigeria Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. Families in Nigeria waited anxiously on Sunday for news of their abducted daughters, the latest in a series of mass kidnappings of school students in the West African nation. (AP PhotoIbrahim Mansur)

Father Kabiru Sani Jangebe, who has three daughters amongst the more than 300 girls abducted from their boarding school on Friday, waits for news at the school in Jangebe town, Zamfara state, northern Nigeria Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. Nigerian police and the military have begun joint operations to rescue the more than 300 girls who were kidnapped from the Government Girls Junior Secondary School, according to a police spokesman. (AP PhotoIbrahim Mansur)

More Images

Families in Nigeria waited anxiously for news of their abducted daughters after more than 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped by gunmen from a government school in the country's north last week, the latest in a series of mass school kidnappings in the West African nation.

“We cannot imagine their situation,” he said of his missing daughters. Residents of a nearby village said the kidnappers had herded the girls through the town like animals, he said.

The girls’ abduction has caused international outrage.

Last week, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the abductions and called for the girls’ “immediate and unconditional release” and safe return to their families. He called attacks on schools a grave violation of human rights and the rights of children, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Boko Haram is opposed to western education and its fighters often target schools. Other organized armed groups, locally called bandits, often abduct students for money. The government says large groups of armed men in Zamfara state are known to kidnap for money and to press for the release of their members held in jail.

Parents of missing schoolgirls wait for news of the more than 300 girls who were abducted by gunmen on Friday from the Government Girls Junior Secondary School, in Jangebe town, Zamfara state, northern Nigeria Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. Families in Nigeria waited anxiously on Sunday for news of their abducted daughters, the latest in a series of mass kidnappings of school students in the West African nation. (AP PhotoIbrahim Mansur)

Father Kabiru Sani Jangebe, who has three daughters amongst the more than 300 girls abducted from their boarding school on Friday, waits for news at the school in Jangebe town, Zamfara state, northern Nigeria Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. Nigerian police and the military have begun joint operations to rescue the more than 300 girls who were kidnapped from the Government Girls Junior Secondary School, according to a police spokesman. (AP PhotoIbrahim Mansur)

“We are not in (a) good mood because when you have five children and you are able to secure (just) one. We only thank God ... But we are not happy,” said Jangebe.

“We cannot imagine their situation,” he said of his missing daughters. Residents of a nearby village said the kidnappers had herded the girls through the town like animals, he said.

One resident said the gunmen also attacked a nearby military camp and checkpoint, preventing soldiers from responding to the mass abduction.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said the government’s priority is to get all the hostages returned safe and unharmed. Police and the military have begun joint operations to rescue the girls, said Mohammed Shehu, a police spokesman in Zamfara state.

The girls’ abduction has caused international outrage.

Pope Francis decried the kidnapping and prayed for the girls’ quick release, during his public address in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday.

“I pray for these girls, so that they may return home soon ... I am close to their families and to them,″ Francis said, asking people to join him in prayer.

Last week, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the abductions and called for the girls’ “immediate and unconditional release” and safe return to their families. He called attacks on schools a grave violation of human rights and the rights of children, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Nigeria has seen several such attacks and kidnappings in recent years. On Saturday, 24 students, six staff and eight relatives were released after being abducted on February 17 from the Government Science College Kagara in Niger state. In December, more than 300 schoolboys from a secondary school in Kankara, in northwestern Nigeria, were taken and later released. The government has said no ransom was paid for the students' release.

The most notorious kidnapping was in April 2014, when 276 girls were abducted by the jihadist rebels of Boko Haram from the secondary school in Chibok in Borno state. More than 100 of those girls are still missing.

Boko Haram is opposed to western education and its fighters often target schools. Other organized armed groups, locally called bandits, often abduct students for money. The government says large groups of armed men in Zamfara state are known to kidnap for money and to press for the release of their members held in jail.

Nigeria's criminal networks may plot more such abductions if this round of kidnappings go unpunished, say analysts.

“While improving community policing and security in general remains a mid-to-long-term challenge, in the short term authorities must punish those responsible to send a strong message that there will be zero tolerance toward such acts,” said Rida Lyammouri, senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, a Moroccan based think tank.