Mahamat issued an official statement calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the kidnapped people and stated that “this despicable act is yet another illustration of the widespread threat posed by terrorism, violent extremism and banditry to the peace and stability of the Nigerian State, the West African region and the continent as a whole.”

Numerous Nigerian forces are conducting operations to rescue the 270 persons kidnapped last Thursday during the second attack carried out in this country in a week.

According to witnesses, the number could rise to 280, but authorities are yet to report the exact number of hostages. Some versions indicate that 187 people are missing from the Kuriga secondary school, and 125 from the primary school, even though some managed to escape and returned.

The activity of the hostile factions has left some 35,000 deaths and more than two million displaced by violence in Abuja.

One of the main ways in which Islamist groups operating in the country obtain income is by mass abduction, particularly of young underage girls and government officials, and after demanding cash ransoms for them.

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