The attack on the Federal Government College in Birnin-Yauri, Kebbi State, was described by a member of the House of Representatives, Tanko Sununu, as a promise kept by bandits.
Thursday’s incident, according to the congressman who represents Ngaski/ Shanga/ Yauri Federal Constituency, was the latest in a series of attacks on villages in the area.
On Friday, he appeared as a guest on Sunrise Daily, where he described the events leading up to the attack, which left an unknown number of children at the school missing.
“What really happened is that about two weeks ago, we had an episode when bandits residing within parts of the areas bordering Zamfara, Niger, and Kebbi came up through one of the villages in my constituency.
“They killed a policeman and found their way until they reached Ibeto area where we have a quarry, killed some security men and kidnapped some of the foreign workers in the quarry and left,” the lawmaker said during the Channels Television breakfast show.
He added, “10 days later, they came back to the same area and entered into my constituency bordering some villages, and they had more than a seven-hour field operation going from house to house, room to room, collecting money, phones, cows, and any machine they deemed useful for their operations, and they left a message behind that they would soon be back.
“To fulfill their promise yesterday, we had intelligence that they were on their way coming. Around 10:30 in the morning, they reached their final destination – the Federal Government College, Birnin-Yauri.”
Sununu stated that the robbers were met with a difficult challenge as soon as they arrived to the school, as they were resisted and engaged in a gunfight by operatives from the Mobile Police and Police Counter-Terrorism Unit stationed there.
He stated that the gunfight raged for a long time before the criminals were able to defeat the security personnel due to their large numbers.
The robbers, according to the congressman, killed a police officer and gained access to the school, where they took an indeterminate number of pupils and five teachers.
He explained that determining the precise number of students abducted was difficult because parents from neighbouring villages and towns rushed to the school to take their children away as soon as the incident occurred.
Sununu, on the other hand, stated that the military has taken action and that progress has been made.
He said, “As at last night, I had a discussion with the Field Commander of Operation Hadarin Daji who said that they have succeeded in entering into the den of the kidnappers and I think this is a major success because the security agencies are now taking the fight to the base of the kidnappers.
“I was also told that over 800 cattle that were rustled some days back have been recovered and as of now, the military has combed the area where we are expecting that the students are with the bandits. They have also succeeded in creating many casualties on the part of the bandits.”