More Than 200 Children Kidnapped By Armed Men From Schools In Nigeria

JAKARTA - More than 200 children were kidnapped from a school in the State of Kaduna, Nigeria by a group of armed men, one of the country's largest mass kidnappings in three years.

Sani Abdullahi, principal at the GSS Kuriga school in Chikun District, Kaduna, said gunmen, known locally as bandits, attacked on Thursday morning by firing into the air.

He told local officials about 187 students had been kidnapped from the main school along with 100 other elementary school students.

Local residents said gunmen surrounded government-owned schools in Kuriga City, just as students were about to start schooling at around 8 am.

"In the early hours of the morning, before we woke up, we heard gunshots from bandits, before we realized they had gathered children," said Musa Mohammed, a local resident, citing AFP's The National News.

"We appeal to the government, we all beg, they must assist us in terms of security," he continued.

Meanwhile, state officials confirmed the attack but said they were still counting how many children were kidnapped. Often the number of victims reportedly kidnapped or missing was lowered, after people fleeing the attack returned to their homes.

"Until now, we have not been able to find out the number of children or students who were kidnapped," said the State Governor of Kaduna Uba Sani during a visit to Kuriga.

"We will ensure that every child will return. We are working with the security agency," he told villagers in the area, about 90 km from the state capital.

Thursday's kidnapping comes nearly 10 years after Boko Haram extremists sparked international outrage, kidnapping more than 250 students from Chibok in northeastern Nigeria. Some of the girls are still missing.

Separately, Amnesty International condemned the kidnapping in Kaduna.

"Schools should be a safe place, and no child should choose between education or life," they posted on Twitter.

Nigerian authorities must immediately take action to prevent attacks on schools, to protect children's lives and their right to education," he continued.

Hundreds of school children and students have been kidnapped in mass kidnappings in the northwest and central regions of the country, including in Kaduna, in the past three years.

Most recently, more than 100 people were missing after militants carried out mass kidnappings last week targeting women and children in a refugee camp due to a conflict in the northeast last week.

Nearly all of those kidnapped were released on ransom after weeks or months of being held in hidden camps in the forests that span the northwestern states.