World Tour: Hundreds of children kidnapped in Nigeria

NICK EICHER, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: WORLD Tour with our reporter in Africa, Onize Ohikere

AUDIO: [Parents shouting]

Nigeria kidnapping — Today’s roundup starts here in Nigeria with parents seeking answers on the fate of their abducted children.

Armed men seized nearly 300 children from a school in northern Kaduna state last week.

No one has claimed responsibility, but residents of the town of Kuriga, where the raid took place, have blamed bandits who stage kidnappings for ransom.

The mass school abduction is the first in nearly three years.

Shehu Lawal says two of his children were among the kidnapped.

SHEHU LAWAL: [Speaking Hausa]

He says here that the community lacks any security or military presence as he pleaded for the government’s intervention.

Authorities have launched a search and rescue mission for the children.

Uba Sani is the Kaduna state governor.

UBA SANI: No child will be left behind, all of them will come back home...

Other abductions have also hit the country over the past week. On Saturday, armed men broke into an Islamic school in northwest Sokoto state and kidnapped at least 15 students.

And in northeast Borno state, suspected Boko Haram insurgents seized more than 200 displaced people who were gathering firewood.

AUDIO: [Ongoing rescue]

Indonesia deaths — Over in Indonesia, rescue crews and residents are clearing roads and searching for survivors after heavy rains drenched Sumatra island last week.

The seasonal monsoon rainfall has caused some rivers to swell and triggered landslides and flash floods.

At least 26 people have died and about 11 others are still missing.

RESIDENT: [Speaking Indonesian]

This resident says the floodwater caught the villagers off guard with some of them unable to save their belongings.

The National Disaster Management Agency said the floods also damaged farmlands and infrastructure, including bridges, schools, and roads.

Haiti violence worsens — In Haiti, worsening gang violence has left more people in need of food and safety.

AUDIO: [Street]

Scores of people have died and more than 15,000 others have fled their homes since Feb. 29. That’s when armed gangs launched coordinated attacks to kick out Prime Minister Ariel Henry from office. Henry had traveled to Kenya to nail down a security deal when the violence began.

Schools, banks, and many gas stations have mostly remained closed. Henry remains in Puerto Rico due to closed Haitian airports and fears for his own safety. On Tuesday, he announced he would step down once Haiti can set up a transitional presidential council.

Food and medical supplies are also stranded in containers in the main port in Port-au-Prince.

RESIDENT: [Speaking Haitian]

This Port-au-Prince resident says she’s fleeing with her belongings, but doesn’t know where to go.

Port-au-Prince and western Haiti are still under a state of emergency.

AUDIO: [Street procession]

Spain rainfall prayers — We wrap up in the Spanish city of Barcelona at a prayer procession for rain after weeks of drought.

Saturday marked the 9th day of their prayers when rain began to fall.

Juan José Omella is the Cardinal Archbishop of Barcelona.

JUAN JOSÉ OMELLA: [Speaking Catalan]

He thanks God here for the gift of rain and for faith, hope, and charity.

Authorities in Spain’s northeast region of Catalonia declared a drought emergency in February after more than 1,000 days of drought.

It’s the first time Spaniards have held the procession through Barcelona's Gothic Quarter since 1945 when Spain faced a similar drought.

That’s it for today’s WORLD Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere in Abuja, Nigeria.

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