NIGERIAN security forces stopped another school kidnapping attempt in the northern Kaduna state in an attack on Saturday night, officials confirmed today.

A spokesman for the state government thanked the swift intervention by the police and armed forces, which prevented gunmen from abducting any of the pupils from the secondary school outside Ikara town.

“Between the late hours of Saturday night and the early hours of Sunday suspected bandits stormed the Government Science Secondary School, Ikara,” Kaduna state home affairs & security commissioner Samuel Aruwan said. He confirmed that all 307 pupils at the school were safe. 

About 700 students have been kidnapped in north-west Nigeria since December, with armed gangs demanding ransoms for their safe return. 

At least 39 students are still missing after being abducted from another school in Kaduna state last Thursday. Video footage shared on social media on Saturday showed distressed students appealing for help as they were beaten and whipped by their captors.

One, whose surname was given as Emmanuel, urged the government to co-operate with the demands of the abductors and said that any rescue operation would lead to severe consequences.

“Many of us have been badly injured. Most of us here are having health issues,” he said, as a man held a gun pointed at his head.

Police spokesman Muhammed Jalige said he was not aware of any ransom demands made by the kidnappers.

“We are not aware of that. Even if they’re going to make any request, it will be through the school management,” he said, adding that the video was “very authentic.”

Student leader Daniel Atep confirmed that he knew virtually everyone in the video, including the student who had made the appeal.