Gunmen kidnapped more than 50 children, including toddlers, from three schools in north-eastern Nigeria on Friday, according to teachers, parents and local residents, in the latest mass abduction to hit the country, reports the BBC.
The attacks took place in the town of Mussa in Borno state, where armed men stormed schools shortly after security patrols left the area, witnesses said. Most of the missing children are believed to be between two and five years old.
Residents said the attackers arrived on motorcycles and opened fire sporadically before forcing children onto the bikes and fleeing the town.
Eyewitnesses told the BBC the gunmen used some of the abducted children as human shields while escaping, preventing security forces from shooting at them.
No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings.
However, some reports suggested the attacks resembled operations previously carried out by Boko Haram, the Islamist militant group battling both Nigerian forces and rival faction Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) for influence in the region.
Authorities have yet to issue an official response to the incident. Government officials did not respond to BBC requests for comment.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Borno South Senator Ali Ndume said at least 42 children had been abducted from two of the schools.
The kidnappings were reported at Government Day Secondary School, Mussa Central Primary School and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Secondary School.
Borno state has faced years of insecurity linked to insurgent violence, and the latest abductions have triggered fresh panic among residents, with some families reportedly fleeing Mussa.
Parents described scenes of chaos and helplessness as gunmen swept through the schools. One resident, who declined to be identified out of fear of reprisals, said his wife had been left devastated after their six-year-old daughter was taken.
Mussa Central Primary School headmaster Abdu Dunama said he heard gunfire before armed men entered the school compound and gathered children from classrooms.
According to Dunama, 34 children — most of them nursery pupils aged five and below — were seized from the primary school alone.
Residents said the attack happened less than half an hour after troops conducting patrols departed from the town.
“[It was] immediately after they left, it was not up to 30 minutes after,” said Bukar Buba, whose daughter was among those abducted.
Witnesses said frightened residents fled for cover as the attackers fired shots into the air. Many parents watched from a nearby hill as the gunmen loaded children onto motorcycles and disappeared into surrounding areas, according to local accounts.
Some older pupils managed to escape during the confusion by running into nearby bushes, residents said. The largely farming community, already facing economic hardship and prolonged insecurity, has appealed to the authorities to intensify efforts to rescue the abducted children.
Dunama said security forces remained deployed in the area and were continuing operations to trace the attackers and recover the pupils safely.
