Suspected bandits abducted 14 students of an Islamic school and their teacher in Tungan-Bako village, Rafi Local Government Area, Niger State. The abduction occurred on Saturday. The police said the students were helping their teacher harvest maize when gunmen invaded the farm. The Niger police spokesperson, Wasiu Abiodun, dismissed reports that 50 students were abducted. He said joint security teams had begun rescue operations.
Niger State has been a hotspot for mass abductions. In 2021, gunmen abducted over 100 students from Government Science College, Kagara. In 2024, bandits raided communities in Rafi and Shiroro. In 2025, the state government negotiated the release of several groups. The pattern is consistent. Rural areas lack security presence. Schools and farms are soft targets. The attackers operate in forests that span state boundaries. Rescue operations are slow and often rely on ransom.
The students were on the farm when the gunmen arrived. They were harvesting maize. The attackers took them into the forest. The police confirmed the abduction but disputed the number. Community sources said more than 14 were taken. The discrepancy is familiar. Early reports often inflate or deflate figures. The police promised rescue. No group has claimed responsibility.
Separately, six mourners travelling from Kano to Okpoga in Benue State were abducted along Adoka Road on Friday. The attackers abandoned the corpse they were transporting on the road. The incident highlights the risk on highways across the north. Travellers are targets regardless of purpose. Funerals, markets and farms are all vulnerable.
Winners: The abductors, who gained hostages. No one else. Losers: The 14 pupils and their teacher. Their families. The community in Tungan-Bako. The six mourners. Their families. The police, whose rescue capacity is questioned. The state government, whose security promises remain unmet. Travellers on northern roads.
Bottom Line: Fourteen pupils were taken from a farm. Their teacher was taken with them. The police say the number is not 50. The rescue is underway. The pattern repeats. Farms, schools and roads are not safe. Until security reaches rural Niger, the next abduction is a matter of time.