Students abducted in raid near Nigeria army base

Gunmen have abducted an unknown number of students from a college in the north-western Nigerian state of Kaduna. 

The attackers stormed the institution overnight, opened fire and kidnapped the students - mostly female.

It is not yet clear who carried out the attack on Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, which is located near a military training academy.

Samuel Aruwan, Kaduna state's commissioner for security and internal affairs, told the BBC that a headcount was under way at the school. 

Some sources say the abductees could be in their dozens. 

Parents and relatives gathered at the college on Friday morning to wait for news on the fate of their children. 

Armed criminal gangs that kidnap people for ransom often target schools in Nigeria.

Around 800 students have been kidnapped since December following several raids. They have all been released after negotiations with the gunmen.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: Yusuf Tijjani