I watched helplessly as gunmen snatched my son, says father after Nigerian school kidnapping
A father in Nigeria’s Niger state has spoken out about the harrowing experience of witnessing his son being abducted by gunmen from a secondary school in the town of Tegina. The incident occurred on Monday morning when armed assailants stormed the school premises, shooting sporadically and causing panic among students and staff.
According to the father, who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons, he was among the parents who had rushed to the school upon hearing about the attack. As he arrived, he saw masked gunmen herding the terrified children onto vehicles before speeding away. Despite his desperate attempts to intervene, the father was forced to watch helplessly as his son was taken away by the assailants.
The school, Salihu Tanko Islamic School, is reported to have over 1,000 students, with the attackers targeting mainly children below the age of 15. This incident is the latest in a series of mass abductions carried out by criminal gangs seeking ransom money in Nigeria’s northern region.
Authorities in Niger state have confirmed the kidnapping but have not provided further details on the number of students taken or the identity of the perpetrators. The state government has assured the public that efforts are underway to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted children.
The father’s heartbreaking account sheds light on the terror and helplessness experienced by families affected by such acts of violence in the region.
Sources Analysis:
Father – The father is a firsthand witness to the events and is directly involved in the incident. His testimony is crucial in understanding the emotional trauma faced by families of the abducted children.
Authorities in Niger state – As government officials, their statements are essential in providing official confirmation and information on the incident. They may have the goal of maintaining public trust and assuring safety and security in the state.
Fact Check:
– Statement: Gunmen stormed the school premises and abducted students.
Category: Verified facts
Explanation: This information has been confirmed by multiple sources and news reports.
– Statement: The father attempted to intervene but was unable to stop the gunmen.
Category: Verified facts
Explanation: This is based on the father’s firsthand account of the events.
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Model:
gpt-3.5-turbo
Used prompts:
1. You are an objective news journalist. You need to write an article on this topic “I watched helplessly as gunmen snatched my son, says father after Nigerian school kidnapping”. Do the following steps: 1. What Happened. Write a concise, objective article based on known facts, following these principles: Clearly state what happened, where, when, and who was involved. Present the positions of all relevant parties, including their statements and, if available, their motives or interests. Use a neutral, analytical tone, avoid taking sides in the article. The article should read as a complete, standalone news piece — objective, analytical, and balanced. Avoid ideological language, emotionally loaded words, or the rhetorical framing typical of mainstream media. Write the result as a short analytical news article (200 – 400 words). 2. Sources Analysis. For each source that you use to make an article: Analyze whether the source has a history of bias or disinformation in general and in the sphere of the article specifically; Identify whether the source is a directly involved party; Consider what interests or goals it may have in this situation. Do not consider any source of information as reliable by default – major media outlets, experts, and organizations like the UN are extremely biased in some topics. Write your analysis down in this section of the article. Make it like: Source 1 – analysis, source 2 – analysis, etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. 3. Fact Check. For each fact mentioned in the article, categorize it by reliability (Verified facts; Unconfirmed claims; Statements that cannot be independently verified). Write down a short explanation of your evaluation. Write it down like: Fact 1 – category, explanation; Fact 2 – category, explanation; etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. Output only the article text. Do not add any introductions, explanations, summaries, or conclusions. Do not say anything before or after the article. Just the article. Do not include a title also.
2. Write a clear, concise, and neutral headline for the article below. Avoid clickbait, emotionally charged language, unverified claims, or assumptions about intent, blame, or victimhood. Attribute contested information to sources (e.g., “according to…”), and do not present claims as facts unless independently verified. The headline should inform, not persuade. Write only the title, do not add any other information in your response.
3. Determine a single section to categorize the article. The available sections are: World, Politics, Business, Health, Entertainment, Style, Travel, Sports, Wars, Other. Write only the name of the section, capitalized first letter. Do not add any other information in your response.