Three hundred students kidnapped from a school in Nigeria

Kuriga: More than three hundred students have been abducted from their school in northwestern Nigeria, plagued by Islamic militants and armed groups. This mass kidnapping in Kuriga is the third in the last week. Fifteen children were abducted from a school in Sokoto, another state in the northwest. Additionally, nearly busloads of people displaced by the conflict in the northeastern state of Borno, mostly women and children, were abducted.

The kidnappings are evidence of the ongoing security crisis in Africa's most populous country. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, but Islamic extremist rebels in the northeast are suspected to be carrying out the kidnappings in Borno. Locals have blamed herdsmen who are in conflict with established communities for the kidnappings from the school.

In 2014, Islamic extremists hijacked school buses carrying school girls from Cheboksary, Borno, leading to a global 'Bring back our girls' campaign on social media. A decade later, at least 1,400 students have been abducted under similar circumstances. Some are still held hostage, including a hundred brides from Chikabok.

Nigeria's porous borders facilitate the smuggling of weapons that are used in such kidnappings. Fifty percent of Nigeria's 1,500 km long border is with Niger. Most of this border area is covered with Savanna forests. Also, a large part of the area is deserted and governance is negligible. That's why organized gangs hide here and keep their unsuspecting victims.

The Nigerian Army conducts airstrikes and special forces operations in the region as needed, as well as respond to crisis areas across the country. However, it is now exhausted against fourteen years of Islamic insurgency in the northwest.

The people of Kuriga are hoping for the safety of their children with the help of the army and are eagerly waiting for their return.