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Terrorists launched a deadly attack on the Government Secondary School in Tsafe, Zamfara State, on Saturday, killing a teacher and abducting an undisclosed number of students.
Eyewitnesses say the gunmen, heavily armed, stormed the school premises in a terrifying overnight raid, leaving behind fear and devastation.
The exact number of students taken remains unclear as authorities have yet to release an official figure.
Global human rights group Amnesty International has condemned the attack, describing it as yet another failure of the government to protect vulnerable citizens.
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In a post shared on X on Sunday, Amnesty International said: “Frequent attacks and abductions by bandits targeting schools have severely affected operations of schools and access to education across Zamfara state.”
The group also stressed that targeting educational institutions is a serious breach of international humanitarian law, adding that the right to education continues to be under threat in Nigeria’s conflict-ridden northern region.
So far, neither the Zamfara State Government nor the Nigerian police has released a detailed statement on the incident.
The attack adds to growing fears over the rising wave of terrorist violence across Nigeria’s far north. Security analyst and defence strategist, Dr. Joshua Bolarinwa, has linked the recent uptick in terror activity around the Lake Chad region to Niger Republic’s reported withdrawal from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF)—a regional military coalition set up to combat insurgency.
Speaking on the implications of Niger’s absence, Bolarinwa, described the development as a strategic setback that’s already emboldening terrorist factions like Boko Haram and ISWAP.
“Niger’s withdrawal from the MNJTF was not surprising,” he said, pointing to the aftermath of the July 2023 military coup in the country and the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS.
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He suggested that diplomatic strains and pressure on the junta may have pushed the country to pull back its soldiers, particularly from key border points shared with Nigeria.
Niger’s military ruler, General Abdourahamane Tchiani maintains that the country remains part of the MNJTF. However, security observers have flagged the absence of Nigerien forces in the field.