Gunmen Kidnap Students in Attack on School in Nigeria

By Al Mayadeen English

16 May 2026 03:07

Gunmen kidnapped several students after storming a school in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno State, raising fears over escalating attacks targeting schools and civilians.

Gunmen kidnapped a number of students after storming a primary and secondary school in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, in the latest attack targeting educational institutions in the country.

Local residents and sources told Reuters that the armed men attacked the school in the town of Musa, located in the Askira-Uba area, during school hours on Friday morning.

A local resident, Obaidullah Hassan, said the attackers arrived around 9 am (local time) and abducted several students before fleeing the area.

Students flee as attackers raid school

One teacher at the school said the gunmen arrived on motorcycles and opened the attack suddenly, causing panic among students and staff.

According to the teacher, some students managed to escape into nearby forests, while others were taken by the attackers to an unknown destination.

No group has officially claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. However, the operation resembled previous attacks carried out by Boko Haram, which have repeatedly targeted schools and civilians in northeastern Nigeria.

The armed group was responsible for the 2014 kidnapping of more than 270 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State, an incident that triggered international outrage and global solidarity campaigns.

Security fears grow in Nigeria

Borno State and surrounding regions continue to witness recurring attacks despite ongoing military operations against armed groups operating in the area.

The latest kidnapping has renewed concerns over deteriorating security conditions in rural communities and the continued vulnerability of schools to armed attacks.

In a separate incident, local reports indicated that gunmen also abducted several students from a school in Oyo State in southwestern Nigeria, prompting authorities to temporarily close schools in the area and launch search operations to locate the kidnappers.