Global News - Redeem the Oppressed

Hundreds of Students Kidnapped from School in Katsina State in Nigeria

On Friday, December 11, gunmen attacked a secondary school in Katsina State. Gunmen raided the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara, where about 1,000 students study daily. It was not clear how many students were there at that time, but gunmen are believed to have initially abducted more than 600 students.

Since that night, 200 students have managed to escape and return home. That means more than 400 children are missing from the attack. It is also the largest child abduction in recent history in Nigeria.

It was not clear who was behind the abduction. However those who witnessed the abduction believed that the children were abducted by Fulani militants. Fulani militants are known for the purpose of returning the families of the abducted victims after taking Ransom.

However, the attack is as large as Boko Haram’s abduction of 276 girls from Chibok and 110 from Dapachi. Boko Haram often kidnaps children for ransom and recruits.

According to local sources, it has not yet been determined whether the attack was religious or economic in any way. It seems that the majority of the students were Muslims, as Katsina is one of the 12 states in Nigeria that have Sharia law. However, we pray that all children and their families will be return safely.

By Farrukh Saif

Farrukh Saif is a Pakistani human rights activist based in Germany. He founded his own organization, the Farrukh Saif Foundation (FSF), in 2009 with the goal of supporting marginalized and oppressed minorities in Pakistan who are affected by religious discrimination, blasphemy laws, forced conversions, abductions, rape, and bonded slavery. The main focus of the FSF is on the liberation of bonded laborers, particularly those working in brick kilns in rural areas of Pakistan. In 2018, the FSF merged with the US-based Emergency Committee to Save the Persecuted and Enslaved. Throughout his career, Farrukh has been a leading voice for the rights of minorities in Pakistan and has gained international attention for his campaigns against the misuse of blasphemy laws and the belief that asylum is not a crime. In 2014, he played a key role in the release of hundreds of asylum seekers from Thai jails and has worked with his legal team to save numerous victims of strict blasphemy laws in Pakistan. Farrukh has also been invited by the Hungarian government to discuss his work and the issues he addresses. In addition to his work with the FSF, Farrukh has also been involved in various other humanitarian efforts, including providing health care services to internally displaced persons in Khayber Pakhtoon Khawa in 2009 and assisting flood victims in Sindh and Punjab in 2010. He has worked to aid victimized minorities in Pakistan and has a strong track record of successfully advocating for their rights. Farrukh joined forces with Keith Davies in 2018 to co-found the Emergency Committee to Save The Persecuted and Enslaved, and since 2009, they have collectively successfully rescued more than 36000 individuals from slavery and persecution.