Toddlers among more than 50 schoolchildren kidnapped in Nigeria

Toddlers among more than 50 schoolchildren kidnapped in Nigeria1 hour agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleChris EwokorBBC Africa, AbujaAFP via Getty ImagesThere have been waves of armed abductions in north and central Nigeria in recent years, carried out by criminal gangs and IslamistsGunmen have kidnapped more than 50 children from three schools in the same town in north-eastern Nigeria, teachers and residents have said.Most of those missing are aged between two and five years old.Eyewitnesses who saw the attacks on Friday morning in Mussa, Borno state, say 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 attack, and government officials have yet to respond to the BBC's requests for comment.The kidnappings took place at the town's Government Day Secondary School, Mussa Central Primary School, and State Universal Basis Education Board (SUBEB) Primary 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 resident of Mussa to flee the area.Yet 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.The kidnap gangs, jihadists and separatists wreaking havoc in NigeriaOperation against Nigerian kidnapping gang kills '200 bandits' - official tells BBCAbdu Dunama, headmaster of Mussa Central Primary School, described hearing gunfire before armed men stormed the school and rounded up children.He sa...