Dozens kidnapped from Islamic school in northern Nigeria
Authorities in Niger state confirmed that shooters had seized an unknown number of students from the school in the town of Regina on Sunday. A teacher said that 150 students were missing, while other reports put the figure at about 200. Abductions carried out for ransom are increasingly common in northern states.
In February, nearly 300 girls were taken by armed men from a boarding school in Jangebe, Zamfara. Most were later freed. In the latest incident, witnesses quoted by the This Day news website said shooters riding on motorcycles stormed the town and opened fire indiscriminately. As people fled, the attackers went to the Islamic school and seized the children. The school is attended by boys and girls, aged six to 18.
Authorities said two people were shot during the attack, and one had since died. Many people travelling in a car were also reportedly kidnapped. Nigeria correspondent Mayeni Jones says kidnapping for ransom has become more common across Nigeria in recent months. The attack in Regina comes a day after 14 people kidnapped from a university in the neighbouring state of Kaduna were released. Tegina is also not far from the town of Kagara, where 27 students were abducted in February.
There have been at least six kidnappings of students in the northwest and central Nigeria since December, our correspondent says, and more than 800 students and staff have been abducted. The 2014 kidnap of 276 schoolgirls in the northeastern town of Chibok by Islamist militants Boko Haram brought global attention to the scourge of raids on schools in Nigeria. Still, more recent attacks are suspected to be the work of criminal gangs.
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