MAIDUGURI, Nigeria - At least nine students were kidnapped from their classrooms by gunmen at a university in Nigeria's northern state of Kogi, the state government said on Friday, as Africa's most populous nation grapples with widespread insecurity.
Armed gangs have been causing havoc in northern Nigeria, where they kidnap villagers, students and motorists for ransom, with security forces unable to end the practice.Kingsley Femi Fanwo, Kogi's information commissioner, said the students were studying when gunmen attacked the Confluence University of Science and Technology on Thursday night.
He said a search and rescue operation by security agents and hunters who know the local terrain was underway. Kidnappings at schools in Nigeria were first carried out by jihadist group Boko Haram, who seized more than 200 students from a girls' school in Chibok in Borno state a decade ago. The tactic has since been adopted by criminal gangs without any ideological affiliation seeking ransom payments.It has been our privilege to have the trust and support of our East Coast communities for the last 200 years. Our SaltWire team is always watching out for the place we call home. Our 100 journalists strive to inform and improve our East Coast communities by delivering impartial, high-impact, local journalism that provokes thought and action.