About 70 abducted in Nigeria school kidnapping

LAGOS, NIGERIA — Gunmen abducted scores of children from a school in northwest Nigeria, the second kidnapping from a school in the country’s north within a week, officials said.

A policeman was shot dead in the attack Thursday at the Federal Government College in Birnin Yauri in Kebbi State, according to police spokesperson Nafiu Abubakar.

About 70 children were abducted from the school, according to the Lagos-based Guardian newspaper, which quoted an eyewitness and a staff member of the school.

Some students were taken away in two vans while others were put on motorcycles, said the report. The gunmen had used a van stolen from the police who were supposed to be protecting the school.

The Yauri incident is the seventh mass abduction from a school in Nigeria this year.

Five teachers and the viceprincipal are also missing and most of the kidnapped students are female, said a student who had been abducted and was later released. He insisted on anonymity for his safety.

The gunmen released the student because he had a gunshot wound and was losing a lot of blood. He was shot through a window by the attackers who forced their way into a building where some students were hiding.

The Nigerian Army said Friday it had rescued two teachers and five of the students “after a fierce exchange of fire with the criminals.” A spokesperson said troops were still pursuing the kidnappers to rescue the remaining students.