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Gunmen have kidnapped more than 50 children from three schools in the town of Mussa in north-eastern Nigeria’s Borno State, teachers and parents have told the BBC.
Most of those missing were aged between two and five years old.
Eyewitnesses said the attacks took place on Friday morning. They reported that the suspects used the children as human shields while fleeing on motorbikes, preventing security forces from opening fire.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Government officials have not responded to the BBC’s requests for comment, but a press statement issued on Saturday by Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South said at least 42 children had been abducted from two schools.
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The kidnappings took place at the town’s Government Day Secondary School, Mussa Central Primary School, and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Secondary School.
Some reports suggest the attacks bore the hallmark of Boko Haram, the Islamist group vying for control over the region against its rival faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap).
Nigeria is currently grappling with a spate of mass abductions by a range of culprits.
Locals in Borno state have endured decades of insecurity. These latest attacks have prompted some residents of Mussa to flee the area.
Traumatised parents have told the BBC they feel they have no choice but to wait in anguish for news about their children.
One man, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal, said his wife was inconsolable after their six-year-old daughter was snatched away by the gunmen.
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