Gunmen kidnap over a dozen Islamic students, female in Nigeria

By Timothy Olanrewaju

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) - Suspected bandits kidnapped more than one dozen Islamic students and a woman in northwestern Nigeria, according to a school official.

A gang of gunmen stormed Gidan Bakuso, a remote town in the Gada Local Government area in Sokoto State early Saturday, said residents Liman Abubakar.

Abubakar, who is the head of the Islamic school, said the attackers shot sporadically, killing a resident and abducted the students who were fleeing amid the pandemonium.

He said 15 students are missing following a head count after the incident

Police spokesman, Ahmad Rufai, however, told Anadolu authorities are yet to ascertain the number of people abducted.

"We don't know the exact figure of persons abducted. We've deployed our tactical team to the area to know how it happened for our immediate action," he said.

Kidnappings have been on the rise in Nigeria since January. More than 400 women and children have been kidnapped in two separate attacks on schools and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the past week in the northern region.