They went to school but ended up as hostages. 287 children are missing in Nigeria’s forests

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Security forces are searching large forests in Nigeria’s northwest region for nearly 300 children who were abducted from their school a day earlier. It is the second mass kidnapping in the country in less than a week and analysts blame them on the failure of intelligence and a slow security response. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but locals blamed it on the bandits who carry out mass killings and abductions for huge ransoms in Nigeria’s northwest and central regions. President Bola Tinubu said he would ensure all the students were freed. Analysts, however, feared a difficult rescue operation because of the vast forests in the remote area.