More than 50 children, most of them between the ages of two and five, have been abducted by gunmen during coordinated attacks on three schools in north-eastern Nigeria, deepening fears over rising insecurity in the region.
The attacks occurred on Friday morning in Mussa, a town in Borno State, where armed men reportedly stormed Government Day Secondary School, Mussa Central Primary School and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Secondary School before whisking the children away on motorcycles.
Eyewitnesses told the BBC that the attackers used the abducted children as human shields while escaping, preventing security personnel from opening fire. Residents said the gunmen arrived shortly after troops on patrol had left the town.
“immediately after they left, it was not up to 30 minutes after,” said Bukar Buba, whose daughter was among those abducted during the attack.
Abdu Dunama, headmaster of Mussa Central Primary School, said the attackers fired gunshots before invading classrooms and rounding up pupils. According to him, at least 34 children, mostly nursery pupils aged five and below, were taken from the school.
Parents and residents said many helplessly watched from a nearby hill as the children were loaded onto motorcycles and taken away, while some older students managed to escape into nearby bushes during the chaos. Several traumatised families have since fled the area over fears of further attacks.
Although no group has officially claimed responsibility, reports suggest the operation bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram, the Islamist extremist group that has carried out years of deadly attacks and kidnappings across north-eastern Nigeria.
Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South said in a statement on Saturday that at least 42 children had been abducted from two of the affected schools, while security forces continue efforts to track the attackers and secure the children’s release.
