Afaka kidnapping

Last updated

Afaka kidnapping
Nigeria - Kaduna.svg
Location of Kaduna State in Nigeria
LocationFederal College of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka, Kaduna State, Nigeria
Coordinates 10°34′54″N7°22′11″E / 10.5816°N 7.3697°E / 10.5816; 7.3697
Date11 March 2021
Target School
Attack type
Kidnapping

The Afaka kidnapping took place on 11 March 2021, when armed Gunmen attacked Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka, Igabi LGA, in Kaduna State and kidnapped 39 students just weeks after a similar attack in Jangebe, Zamfara State. The abducted comprised 23 females along with 16 males and was carried out late at night. [1] [2] It is the third incident of mass kidnapping from a school in northern Nigeria in the year 2021. [3]

Contents

Kidnapping

The attack occurred at 9:30 PM local time on 11 March 2021 at the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization in Mando, Kaduna State. [4] The college is located on the outskirts of Kaduna city near the Nigerian defence academy military barracks. [5] [3] [4] The "armed bandits" entered the school by making a hole in the compound's perimeter wall. [5] Residents in the area reported hearing gunshots, however assumed that they were from training in the military academy. [6]

According to most sources, a distress call was sent by staff and students inside the campus [5] and members of the Nigerian Armed Forces' first division, based in the nearby military academy, engaged the kidnappers in a firefight. [5] [6] [7] They were able to rescue 180 staff and students that had initially been taken hostage by early morning on the next day. [3] [4] Some students were able to evade capture by hiding under their beds, as there was a power blackout. [3] Students attending the college were over 17 years of age and of mixed gender. [4] Some of the rescued hostages were injured and were taken for medical treatment at a nearby military facility. [4] Approximately 20 trucks belonging to the Nigerian army were seen parked outside the school. [5] Approximately 30 students have not been accounted for. [3] [7]

A rescue operation has been launched in an attempt to recover the students who were successfully kidnapped. It has been reported that the captives are possibly in the nearby Rugu forest, which covers over three Nigerian states. [6]

Release

On 5 April 2021, the government of Kaduna State announced that 5 of the 39 people abducted from the Afaka school have been released and recovered by the Kaduna state government. [8] On 8 April 2021, the government of Kaduna State announced that another 5 more students abducted from the Afaka school have been released, making it a total of 10 students freed, leaving 29 still in captivity. [9] [10]

On 5 May 2021, the Kaduna State government similarly announced that the remaining 29 students have been released by their abductors after spending 55 days in captivity. They were reconnected with their families after undergoing medical check up.

There have been an increase of attacks on schools and abduction of students in Nigeria in recent times most of them involving shootings and demand for ransom

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaduna State</span> State of Nigeria

Kaduna State is a state in the northwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The state capital is its namesake, the city of Kaduna which happened to be the 8th largest city in the country as at 2006. Created in 1967 as North-Central State, which also encompassed the modern Katsina State, Kaduna State achieved its current borders in 1987. Kaduna State is the fourth largest and third most populous state in the country, Kaduna State is nicknamed the Centre of Learning, owing to the presence of numerous educational institutions of importance within the state such as Ahmadu Bello University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zamfara State</span> State of Nigeria

Zamfara is a state in northwestern Nigeria. The capital of Zamfara state is Gusau and its current governor is Dauda Lawal. Until 1996, the area was part of Sokoto State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping</span> Kidnapping of female students in Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria

On the night of 14–15 April 2014, 276 mostly Christian female students aged from 16 to 18 were kidnapped by the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram from the Government Girls Secondary School at the town of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria. Prior to the raid, the school had been closed for four weeks due to deteriorating security conditions, but the girls were in attendance in order to take final exams in physics.

The following lists events from 2014 in Nigeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kidnapping in Nigeria</span> National organized crime challenge

Kidnapping is a major problem in Nigeria in the early 21st century. Kidnapping by bandits and insurgents is among the biggest organised or gang crime in Nigeria and is a national security challenge.

Ahmad Abubakar Gumi is an Islamic cleric, scholar and former military officer with the rank of captain in the Nigerian Army. He is the current Mufti and mufassir at the Kaduna central mosque Sultan Bello.

During the evening of 11 December 2020, over 300 pupils were kidnapped from a boys' secondary boarding school on the outskirts of Kankara, Katsina State, northern Nigeria. A gang of gunmen on motorcycles attacked the Government Science Secondary School, where more than 800 pupils reside, for over an hour.

The following is a list of events in 2021 in Nigeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kagara kidnapping</span> 2021 civilian attack in Nigeria

On 17 February 2021, a school pupil was killed and 27 others were abducted by armed men at around 3 am from their school in Kagara, Niger State, Nigeria. Three members of the school staff and 12 of their relatives were also abducted. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Zamfara kidnapping was the abduction of 279 female students aged between 10 and 17 during a raid by armed bandits on 26 February 2021. The kidnapping occurred at the Government Girls Science Secondary School, a boarding school in Jangebe, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. All hostages were released by the bandits on 2 March 2021, though claims vary as to the negotiation methods used by the Nigerian government in order to facilitate their release.

The 2021 Nigerian school kidnappings may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenfield University kidnapping</span> 2021 kidnapping of Greenfield University students in Kaduna State, Nigeria

The Greenfield University kidnapping took place on 20 April 2021, when at least 20 students and 2 staff were kidnapped in Kasarami village, Chikun LGA, Kaduna State, Nigeria, during an attack by suspected armed bandits at Greenfield University. The remaining 14 students were released on 29 May 2021 after one month in captivity. This is Nigeria's fourth kidnapping from an academic institution in 2021, and the fifth since December 2020, coming five weeks and six days after the Afaka kidnapping, in which 39 students were abducted.

On 5 July 2021, an armed gang carried out a mass kidnapping in Chikun, Nigeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigerian bandit conflict</span> Conflict between gangs and the Nigerian government

The bandit conflict in northwest Nigeria is an ongoing conflict between the country's federal government and various gangs and ethnic militias. Starting in 2011, the insecurity remaining from the conflict between the Fulani and Hausa ethnic groups quickly allowed other criminal and jihadist elements to form in the region.

Events in the year 2022 in Nigeria.

From 4 to 6 January 2022, over 200 people were killed by bandits in Zamfara State, Nigeria. This was the deadliest terrorist attack in recent Nigerian history.

On 28 March 2022, an Abuja–Kaduna train was attacked in Katari, Kaduna State, Nigeria. In response, the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) briefly halted operations along the route.

On March 20, 2022, at least 37 people were killed by bandits in the village of Ganar Kiyawa, in Bukkuyum, Zamfara State, Nigeria.

Dogo Giɗe is a notorious Nigerian bandit who has committed heinous crimes against humanity, including kidnapping, raping, cattle rustling, and armed robbery. His criminal activities have particularly affected Zamfara, Katsina, Niger, and Kaduna States, resulting in countless loss of lives and the destruction of many villages in various parts of Northwestern and in some parts of the North Central region, such as Niger and Nasarawa State.

References

  1. "Gunmen attack school and kidnap at least 30 students in Nigeria". CBS. 12 March 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  2. Olukoya, Sam (12 March 2021). "Gunmen abduct 39 students from school in northwest Nigeria". AP News. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Abrak, Isaac; Busari, Stephanie; Princewill, Nimi (12 March 2021). "At least 30 students missing as armed men abduct students in new Nigeria kidnappings". CNN. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Nigeria: Gunmen abduct dozens of students". Deutsche Welle . 12 March 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Muhammad, Garba (12 March 2021). Fletcher, Philippa (ed.). "Dozens of students abducted from forestry college in northwest Nigeria". Reuters. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 Parkinson, Joe (12 March 2021). "Nigeria Gunmen Abduct Students in Latest Mass Kidnapping". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Gunmen attack school and kidnap at least 30 students in Nigeria". CBS News. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  8. "5 kidnap forestry college students regain freedom". vanguardngr.com. 5 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  9. Shibayan, Dyepkazah (8 April 2021). "Afaka abduction: Kaduna confirms release of five more students". The Cable. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  10. Shiklam, John (17 April 2021). "After 37 Days in Captivity, 29 Afaka Students Get Death Threats from Bandits". THIS DAY LIVE. Retrieved 18 April 2021.