Gunmen attacked a government boarding school in Nigeria’s Kebbi state early on Monday, killing the Vice Principal.

The gunmen also abducted an unspecified number of female students, according to a security report and a school official.

The assailants, armed with rifles and reportedly using co-ordinated tactics, stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town.

Vice Principal Hassan Yakubu Makuku was shot dead while resisting the attackers, and a security guard sustained injuries, a teacher told Reuters on condition of anonymity due to safety concerns.

The gunmen fled towards the neighbouring state of Zamfara with the abducted students, the teacher said. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and there has been no immediate comment from security forces.

Northwest Nigeria has experienced recurrent mass abductions from schools by armed gangs seeking ransom payments, despite government promises to enhance security in the region.

-Reuters-