The State Schools Quality Assurance Authority has ordered the closures of 13 mainly Christian schools following the abduction of staff and students from Bethel Baptist High School in the Chikun Local Government Area of southern Kaduna state, Nigeria.
In early July, suspected Fulani herdsmen kidnapped most of the nearly 180 students at gunpoint. It was merely the latest of a series of attacks on schools and colleges across Kaduna – which is now seen as an epicentre for kidnapping – that have greatly increased this year. The attack on Bethel Baptist was one of four incidents which took place within a 24-hour period.
Video footage subsequently emerged of distressed parents gathering in the grounds of the school, praying fervently for the release of their children.
