Gunmen Kidnap 140 Schoolchildren In Nigeria

Gunmen kidnapped at least 140 children in a boarding school in Nigeria's northwestern region.

One mother of among those who were abducted told the media that "a group of armed men arrived on motorbikes and broke down the fence," capturing 165 children in Bethel Baptist School.

What's more, over eight individuals were kidnapped early Sunday morning from the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Centre in Zaria, BBC reports. According to a hospital worker, two nurses and a 12-month-old infant were among those captured.

There has been a recent string of kidnappings for ransom from colleges and institutions.

After invading the boarding school in the early hours of Monday, the assailants opened fire and overwhelmed security personnel.

“The kidnappers took away 140 students, only 25 students escaped. We still have no idea where the students were taken,” told Emmanuel Paul, a teacher.

According to a local Christian leader, the school had 180 pupils, but only 20 had been identified so far. He mentioned that some students might have escaped.

The gunmen suspected of being linked to the hospital attack in Zaria opened fire on a police station in the city, according to authorities. However, another team assaulted the hospital while they were involved in the gunfight.

"The attack on the police station was a distraction whilst another group attacked the dormitories of the health center workers," a local resident told AFP.

Muhammed Jalige, a local state police spokesperson, reported that troops were ramping up their search for the victims. “Tactical police teams went after the kidnappers,” he said, as reported by The Guardian. “We are still on the rescue mission.”

The gunmen made their way into a neighboring woodland with the victims.

Since December, almost 1,000 students have been abducted, with nine of them died. Over 200 students, some as young as three years old, are still missing.

Officials said bandits operating in the region who are primarily motivated by money, have attacked schools in the northwest.

More armed organizations have resorted to mass abductions of children since the well-publicized kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok secondary school by Boko Haram Islamist extremists in Borno state in 2014.