Some JSS 3 students of Prince Academy in Damba-Kasaya, a village in Chikun local government area of Kaduna State, have been kidnapped by unknown gunmen.
The students were abducted early on Monday, August 24, 2020, hours before they were set to commence their Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE).
The gunmen reportedly invaded the community on motorcycles and abducted other residents before the students were also abducted.
One person was also reportedly killed when members of the community chased after the gunmen to rescue the hostages.
The Kaduna State Police Command is yet to release an official statement regarding the incident and the actual number of hostages is unknown.
Amnesty International released a report on Monday that showed Kaduna is the worst-affected by insecurity in the northern region where at least 1,126 people in rural villages have been killed since January 2020.
At least 380 people, mostly women and children, have been abducted for ransom during attacks in Kaduna, Niger, Katsina, Nasarawa and Zamfara in 2020, according to the report.
The human rights watchdog group said it documented an alarming escalation in attacks and abductions in many states in the north west and north central since January.
