UPDATED: Zamfara Governor Orders Closure Of All Boarding Schools

Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, has ordered the immediate closure of all boarding schools in the state.

The directive followed the abduction of over 300 schoolgirls from the Government Girls Secondary School in Jangebe, Talata Mafara Local Government Area, on Friday morning.

Matawalle made the announcement in a statewide broadcast on Friday in Gusau.

“Myself, and the entire state government and the citizens are deeply touched by this development which is the abduction of students from their school and this is the first of its kind in the state.

“Already, we are currently partnering with security agents and trailing all the suspected bandits’ routes,” he said

According to him, this was in addition to helicopters that the state government chartered to carryout aerial surveillance of the bushes for possible detection of the whereabouts of the students.

“I want to assure the parents of the victims that we are doing everything possible to rescue the victims and reunite them with their families.

“This is indeed not the time to trade blames but we need to come together regardless of our political differences to save these our children,” the governor pleaded.

He said that 65 of the students had returned to the school.