Gunmen kidnapped at least 15 students from an Islamic school in the state of Sokoto in northwestern Nigeria on Saturday. This is the second abduction of students in a few days, after about 280 children were abducted from a school in Kaduna state on Thursday.

School principal Abubakar Liman said gunmen stormed the village of Gidan Bakuso and kidnapped 15 students, aged 8-14, as well as a woman.

Mass kidnapping for ransom is a huge problem in the country. In several cases, when the relatives of the abductees do not pay the ransom, the gunmen do not hesitate to kill the captives and leave the bodies in some forest.

In recent years, gangs of thugs have repeatedly attacked schools, mostly in rural areas of northwestern Nigerian states.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came to power in 2023 promising to end the spate of violence, particularly the activity of jihadist groups and gangs in the north, as well as inter-communal clashes in central states.