MAYOWA SAMUEL
The Kebbi State Police Command has linked suspected armed bandits to the killing of one of its men.
The Command also disclosed that five teachers and an unspecified number of students of the Federal Government College, Yauri, Kebbi State, were abducted.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Adeleke Adeyinka-Bode, confirmed the incident to journalists on Thursday.
The police chief disclosed that “Five teachers had been taken away – four male and one female – but the number of students abducted is not known yet.
“The attack took place around 12pm, and during the crossfire between the police and the bandits, some students got injured. One police officer was also injured and another one was killed. These are the facts that I can give you for now.”
He further disclosed that the school principal, who should have been in a better position to give an accurate figure of abducted students during the incident, is unable to make a proper head count of the casualty figure as he “is not in a good state of mind as I am speaking to you because parents have trooped into the school searching for their children.”
A statement issued by the CP read that “The Police Mobile Force, Anti-kidnapping and Counter-terrorism units are currently combing nearby forests, routes and suspected hideouts of the criminals.
“The Command is following credible leads and intensifying efforts to track the assailants and ensure the rescue of the missing students and teachers.”
The statement urged residents of the state with credible lead to assist “the police with prompt information that could aid in solving the crime and apprehending the criminals. The Command will do everything within its powers to ensure that the abducted persons are safely reunited with their families and perpetrators are brought to book.”
