TheCable

Aminu Masari, governor of Katsina, has ordered the immediate closure of all boarding secondary schools in the state.

The governor gave the directive following the alleged abduction of some students of the Government Science Secondary School (GSSS), Kankara.

When he visited the school in company of Mannir Yakubu, his deputy, on Saturday, Masari could not control his emotions.

He pleaded with the people to be patient and show restraint and understanding, assuring them that government would do every necessary thing to ensure the release of any abducted students.

He said, the military, the police and the Department of State Security had swung into action and were on the trail of the suspected bandits.

Masari assured parents of the missing students that both the federal and state governments were doing their best to bring an end to banditry and other debilitating criminal activities in the state.

“The government is very firm in its resolve to be ruthless in any engagement with the bandits,” he said.

Isah Gambo, spokesman of the Katsina police command, had earlier told TheCable that the number of students missing in the attack could not be ascertained.

He said some students escaped through the school fence, while policemen exchanged fire with the suspected bandits.

Gambo said 200 students had been found as of Saturday morning, adding that further search was on to locate others.

He added that no death was recorded during the attack.