Militants on Thursday, killed a police officer, kidnapped five teachers and a number of students in an attack on a school in Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State.
A gunfight erupted between the attackers and police outside a federal government college in the remote town. The militants eventually overpowered law enforcement, managing to make their way into the building before abducting a number of female students, local media reported.
Kebbi police have confirmed the attack, saying that one officer was shot dead in the gunfight. A student also suffered a bullet wound in the incident and was taken to hospital for treatment.
“We are still trying to ascertain the number of students kidnapped, but five teachers were kidnapped,” police spokesman Nafiu Abubakar told reporters. Security forces were searching a nearby forest in an attempt to track down the kidnappers and their victims, he added.
Panic broke out at the school as parents searched for their kids, eyewitness Atiku Aboki told Reuters. “When we got there we saw students crying, teachers crying, everyone is sympathizing with people,” he said.
More than 800 students have been kidnapped from schools in the country in the past six months.