Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has ordered for the immediate closure of all boarding secondary schools in the state. The directive follows the abduction of an unspecified number of students of the Government Science Secondary School Kankara by bandits on Friday night.
The governor stated this in a statement through his Director General Media, Abdu Labaran, on Saturday afternoon. According to Labaran, the governor who visited the school was accompanied by his deputy, Mannir Yakubu, and other government officials.
He met with the school officials, some parents, traditional and religious leaders, as well as security officials.
The statement added that, the governor who could not control his emotions, pleaded with the people to be patient, show restraint and understanding.
He assured them that the government will do every necessary thing to ensure the release of all the abducted students. He said, already, security officials, made up of the military, the police, and the Department of State Security, have swung into action and are on the trail of the abductors.
Also Read: Breaking: Bandits abduct students from GSSS Kankara in Katsina State
Governor Masari further assured that governments at the federal and state levels are doing their best to bring to an end to banditry and other criminal activities in the state.
He says, the government is very firm in its resolve to be ruthless in any engagement with the bandits.
As at the time of filing this report, the state’s Commissioner for Education, Professor Badamsi Lawal said, a total of 406 students have so far been accounted for in the school, as more were still showing up from the different hideouts.
The school is said to have over 800 students, aside the Senior and Junior Secondary School Students, SSS and JSS students, who had since returned home, after their examinations.
(Editor: Ifeanyi Mark)
