The over 300 schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls Junior Secondary School Jangebe, Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State in the early hours of Friday have been sighted at Dangulbi Forest, according to a report by Daily Trust.

Gunmen stormed the school around 1am on Friday and abducted most of the students who are between 12 and 16 years old from their dormitories.

A report by this morning by Daily Trust quoted a school teacher who spoke to it on the condition of anonymity as disclosing that out of 600 students of Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, only about 50 were left behind. However, the police in the state said 317 students were kidnapped while the Zamfara State Commissioner of Information, Alhaji Sulaiman Tunau Anka, said the exact number of abducted students was yet to be ascertained.

Daily Trust said it gathered last night that security personnel and officials of the Zamfara State government have established the identity of the girls’ abductors.

It quoted an authoritative source close to the efforts to secure the release of the girls as disclosing that the window of engagement was being opened to discuss with the armed bandits.

“The schoolgirls are being held at Dangulbi Forest in Maru Local Government Area,” one of the sources said.

The source, who craved for anonymity because he had no permission to speak on the incident, said they mystery behind the abduction would come to the fore soon.

The report noted that the forests between Dangulbi and Maru are known enclave of bandits who for years have been terrorising residents of neighbouring villages.

“The Zamfara State government said security operatives have launched a manhunt for the criminals. Governor Bello Matawalle has been pushing for a dialogue with bandits for peace to reign while the abduction happened hours after the state government said some repentant bandits had surrendered their arms,” the report said.

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