Two female students of Al-Qalam University, Katsina State, were reportedly kidnapped by gunmen suspected to be bandits on Monday, January 15, 2024.
The victims, Habiba Ango Shantali and Maryam Abubakar Musa, both from Borgu Local Government of Niger State, were abducted on their way back to school after the Christmas break.
The president of the National Association Of Niger State Students (NANISS), Comrade Gambo Idris Shehu, confirmed the incident in a statement signed by the Secretary-General, Comr. Mohammmed Ibrahim.
“The National Executives Council just received a sad news that two of our students from Niger State who are studying at Al-Qalam University Katsina have been kidnapped on their way back to school,” the statement read.
“The victims, both from Borgu Local Government, are: Habiba Ango Shantali, a 200-level student from Political Science department and Maryam Abubakar Musa, a 400 level student from the department of Micro Biology. May Allah rescue them from the hands of those notorious people.”
The statement also called on the federal and state governments to ensure the safety and security of students and staff of the university, as well as other institutions in the state.
The kidnapping of the two students is the latest in a series of abductions that have plagued the country in recent years, especially in the northern region.
According to a report by SB Morgen, over 3,000 people were kidnapped in Nigeria in the first half of 2021 alone. The report also showed that between 2011 and 2020, over $18m (N6.9bn) had been paid in ransom to kidnappers by their victims.
Some of the most notable kidnapping cases in the country include the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State, by Boko Haram in 2014; the kidnapping of 110 schoolgirls from Dapchi, Yobe State, by a faction of Boko Haram in 2018; and the kidnapping of 344 schoolboys from Kankara, Katsina State, by bandits in 2020.
The rising spate of kidnappings has raised concerns over the security situation in the country and the need for more effective measures to combat the menace.