Dozens of students abducted from school in Nigeria

Armed men on motorcycles have kidnapped 136 students, including some as young as five years old

(AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images)

Armed men have abducted 136 students from a school including some as young as five years old, Nigerian authorities said.

The attack took place at Salihu Tanko Islamic School in the town of Tegina in the north-central Nigerian state of Niger on Sunday.

One person was killed and three teachers were among those abducted, according to the school owner.

Previous estimates offered by the federal government had put the number of abducted children at 200.

But on Thursday, Niger’s deputy governor Ahmed Mohammed Ketso told reporters the number of missing children had been established.

“We can now confirm that a total of 136 students were abducted,” Mr Ketso said at a news conference. He added the state would not pay any form of ransom.

Umar Idris, the school’s owner, said the number of students could be higher because school officials had not been able to reach all of the parents to confirm whether their children were at home.

“We have sent out a message asking parents who have not yet reported to the school to do so,” he told Associated Press.

Some younger students were left behind as they could not keep pace when the gunmen moved those abducted into the forest. Those who were left behind were found hours after the attack.

“The 11 children were mainly aged between three and four and they lacked the stamina to keep pace with the gunmen, so they were abandoned on the way,” Mr Idris said.

A spokesperson for Niger state’s police said in a statement following the attack that gunmen on motorcycles attacked the town of Tegina at approximately 2pm GMT on Sunday.

He said the attackers were “shooting indiscriminately” and one person was shot dead during the attack and a second person was seriously injured.

The attack took place amid a series of raids on schools and universities in northern Nigeria in recent months.

Just a day before the most recent abduction, 14 students in north-western Nigeria were freed after 40 days in captivity.

In February, gunmen abducted 317 girls from a boarding school. Most were later freed.

More than 800 students have been abducted and kidnapped for ransom, Reuters has reported.