At least 10 people have been kidnapped and one person killed in Kaduna state, north-west Nigeria, after an armed gang attacked a polytechnic on Thursday night, reports from the area say.
The news comes after at least 60 women were abducted in neighbouring Zamfara state earlier this week. Eyewitnesses say the gunmen invaded the Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, shooting indiscriminately to scare people away.
They reportedly abducted two lecturers and eight students. Two students were shot – one died while the other sustained injuries and is in hospital. The police in Kaduna confirmed the attack and said the authorities were conducting a head-count to determine if anyone had been abducted.
There has been a sharp rise in mass kidnappings of students in recent months by criminal gangs. In April, 39 students at the School of Forestry were kidnapped but later released.
A week later, some students of Greenfield University were kidnapped. Their parents said they paid an undisclosed amount of money as ransom before they were set free.
