Gunmen abduct hundreds of school students in Nigeria

On Wednesday, gunmen stormed a school in central Nigeria and kidnapped hundreds of schoolboys from their hostels along with some teachers.

The attack comes on the heels of another kidnapping at the end of last year, where 344 schoolboys were abducted by bandits.

"The attackers wearing military uniforms stormed the Government Science College in huge numbers in the town of Kagara in Niger state late on Tuesday, herding the students into a nearby forest," the sources said.

One student was dead during the kidnapping, the official said.

Northwest and central Nigeria have increasingly been targeted by criminal gangs known locally as "bandits" who kidnap for ransom, rape, and pillage across the region.

"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.

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

The security source confirmed the details of the attack and said a headcount was underway.