Summary:
- Bandits took more than 80 kids between the ages of 12 and 17 from a forest area in Zamfara State while they were getting firewood.
- Hundreds of schoolchildren have been taken from their schools in the state, and some of them were only released after a ransom was paid.
- The most recent kidnapping has sparked anger and calls for quick action to stop the rising level of danger in the state.
More than 80 children have been taken by bandits from the Tsafe Local Government Area in the Nigerian state of Zamfara.
The children, who were between 12 and 17 years old, were taken from a forest area on Friday morning while they were getting firewood.
According to BBC Hausa, the assailants rounded up the children and marched them away into the forest.
Some of the parents of the kids who were taken away confirmed what happened and said they hadn’t heard from the people who took their kids.
In the past few years, banditry and other kinds of crime have been a big problem in Zamfara State.
Even though the government has tried to fix the situation more than once, the security problems haven’t gone away. This has led to the loss of lives and property.
Hundreds of schoolchildren have been taken from their schools in the state, and some of them were only released after a ransom was paid. In December 2020, over 300 schoolboys were abducted from a school in Kankara, Katsina State, which borders Zamfara, before they were released several days later.
The most recent kidnapping of more than 80 children has caused outrage and calls for quick action to stop the rising level of danger in the state. Residents and civil society groups have criticized the way the government deals with bandits and other criminals. They want the government to take more proactive steps to keep people safe and secure.
As of the time of this report, the abductors have yet to reach out to the parents of the kidnapped children to make any demands.
The situation is still changing, and people are worried about the safety and health of the children who were taken.
