Gunmen kidnap 4 university lecturers, children in Nigeria's capital

By Olarewaju Kola

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) – Gunmen on Tuesday kidnapped four lecturers and a number of children from a university in the Nigerian capital Abuja, officials confirmed.

In a statement posted on the University of Abuja's website, spokesman Habib Yakoob said the gunmen invaded the university staff lodging in the early morning and abducted four lecturers and an unspecified number of children.

He stated that university security authorities are working with law enforcement agencies to free the kidnapped teachers and children.

The Federal Capital Territory Police Command arrived on campus and beefed up security both inside and outside the institution.

The incident was the country's first major attack on an educational institution in the country's capital. Students have been kidnapped in large numbers in the country's northeast and central regions.

Last month over 90 kidnapped students and staff from the Federal Government College in the northeastern Kebbi state were rescued after 118 days in captivity.

On March 11, gunmen kidnapped at least 38 students from the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization in Afaka in the northern Kaduna state.