Nigerian parents fearful for kidnapped children

With dozens of Nigerian school students still missing after their kidnapping, parents gathered outside the school in Tegina waiting for news and asking the authorities to do more to bring their children back.

At least 136 pupils were kidnapped from the Salihu Tanko Islamic School in Nigeria's north central Niger State on Sunday, the owner of the school told regional TV.

Police confirmed that a large number of students were abducted, and one person was killed, but did not release exact numbers.

"We want them (authorities) to do more," said Mohammed Garba, father of an abducted student while waiting for news about his kid outside the school.

A Niger State police spokesperson said the abduction was carried out by "armed bandits on board motorcycles in their numbers."

The gunmen fired "indiscriminately and abducted a yet to be ascertained number of children," he said, adding that the gunmen shot one person dead in the process.

Authorities said that "tactical teams" have been mobilized to rescue the students.

The incident is the latest in a series of mass abductions in Nigerian schools by armed gangs who collect money for ransom.

Armed groups have carried out raids on schools in northern Nigeria, kidnapping hundreds of students since December.

The worst incident this year occurred at the Government Girls Secondary School Jangebe in February, when 279 girls were abducted and later released.

Many schools have been forced to close due to the frequent kidnappings.

On Saturday, 14 university students and staff who had been abducted from Greenfield University in Kaduna state on April 20 were released after spending more than a month in captivity.