Authorities say the Nigerian army and police are working to rescue hundreds of students believed to be missing after gunmen stormed a high school on Friday.
Police in the northern state of Katsina say gunmen with AK-47s stormed a government science high school at 9:40 pm on Friday, gathering students as guns flew into the air. The New York Times.
Witnesses and officials said the school, which normally has about 800 students, still has 400 students missing, including a parent and a school staff member. Told Reuters, Although the exact number of missing students is unknown.
Nigerian officials say more than 200 captive students have been rescued and that authorities, including the army and air force, are trying to rescue the missing students.
Police spokesman Issa Combo said in a statement to the Times on Saturday that police clashes with the attackers allowed some students to jump over the fence around the school and escape.
According to the Times, President Mohammed Buhari’s spokesman Karba Shehu said on Saturday. The army pursued the attackers into the jungle, where they exchanged fire.
Authorities did not report any student casualties, but said an officer was taken to hospital after being shot.
Buhari on Saturday condemned the “cowardly bandits’ attack on innocent children” and ordered increased security around schools.
More than 70 farmers have been hanged by members of Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria and the school raid comes several years after schoolgirls were abducted in 2014. It is not clear who carried out Friday’s attack on the school.
News agencies report that the Nigerian people are frustrated amid the strikes, accusing the government of not protecting its citizens.