The Katsina State Police Command has explained the circumstances surrounding the thwarting of the moves by bandits to take away the over 800 students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara.
The explanation of the Command was contained in a statement by its spokesman, SP Gambo Isah, on Saturday.
According to Isah, on Friday at about 9:40pm, bandits in their numbers, shooting sporadically with AK 47 rifles, attacked the school.
Policemen on duty were said to have responded to the attack and engaged the bandits in a gun duel, which gave some of the students the opportunity to scale the fence of the school and run for safety.
Officials of the school put the number of students in school as at the time of the attack at 844.
Over 400 were said to have been found as at the time of giving the report.
The Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, put the number of students still missing at over 300.
According to Isah, the Divisional Police Officer for Kankara reinforced the policemen on duty with Armoured Personnel Carrier, which he said forced the hoodlums to retreat into the forest.
He noted that one Inspector sustained gunshot wound and was taken to the hospital and is responding to treatment.
The PPRO stated that in the course of investigation, the DPO rescued over 200 students and took them back to school.
He also said the police, Nigerian Army and Nigerian Air Force are working closely with the school authorities to ascertain the actual number of the missing and/or kidnapped students, while search parties are assiduously working with a view to find and/or rescue the missing students.
Isah added that it will be too early to say the actual number of students that have been kidnapped or missing.