One Killed, 42 Kidnapped from Nigeria School, Rescue Team Dispatched

By Staff, Agencies

Security chiefs were dispatched to coordinate rescue operation for students abducted by unidentified gunmen in the northern state of Niger on Wednesday.

Gunmen believed to belong to a criminal gang stormed a school in central Nigeria, killing one student and kidnapping 42 others along with some teachers, sources said Wednesday.

Heavily-armed gangs known locally as "bandits" in northwest and central Nigeria have stepped up attacks in recent years, kidnapping for ransom, raping and pillaging.

Late Tuesday, large numbers of gunmen dressed in military uniforms stormed the Government Science College [GSC] in the town of Kagara in Niger state before hauling students into a nearby forest, a government official and a security source said.

"Bandits went into GSC Kagara last night and kidnapped 42 of students and their teachers," said the official, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.

"One of the kidnapped staff and some students managed to escape. The staff confirmed a student was shot dead during the kidnap operation," the official said.

Garba Shehu, a spokesman for President Muhammadu Buhari, told AFP he was aware of reports of students kidnapped from a school in Kagara and that a statement would be issued.

Only two months ago, more than 300 students were kidnapped in Kankara, in nearby Katsina state.

The boys were later released but the incident sparked global outrage.

The school targeted on Tuesday has around 1,000 students and it was not immediately clear how many were taken.

"A head count is underway to establish how many students were kidnapped," a security source said.

Troops with air support were tracking the bandits for a possible rescue operation, the source said.