In the evening of 11 December 2020, over 300 pupils[1][2][3] were kidnapped from a boys' secondary boarding school on the outskirts of Kankara, Katsina State, northern Nigeria.

[4] On 13 December, an unidentified Beechcraft Super King Air 350i ISR aircraft was seen patrolling the eastern Kano region in search of the missing pupils.

On 14 December, Katsina's governor Aminu Bello Masari said the kidnappers had contacted the government and negotiations were ongoing for the release of the students.

An audio message was released on 15 December, purporting to be from Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, claiming that the group kidnapped the students.

Officials from Katsina and Zamfara states later said that the abductions were carried out by criminal gangs, consisting mostly of former Fulani herders who wanted to take revenge against others through the kidnapping.