Nigerian security forces hunt bandits after school abduction

Security forces and hunters have intensified efforts to find and rescue the Nigerian schoolgirls, local officials said. Security teams swept nearby forests where gangs often hide, while others were deployed along major roads leading to the school.

The girls were kidnapped before dawn on Monday, when gunmen attacked the dorm at the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Kebbi state's Maga town.

Local police said the gunmen scaled the fence to enter the school premises and exchanged gunfire with police officers before seizing the girls and killing a staff member.

No group has claimed responsibility for taking the girls, but analysts and locals say gangs of bandits often target schools, travelers and remote villagers in kidnappings for ransoms.

Authorities say the bandits are mostly former herders who have taken up arms against farming communities after clashes between them over strained resources.

Civil society leaders have accused security forces of inaction.

On the streets of Lagos on Wednesday, Nigerians expressed their outrage over the kidnappings.

Ogundinmu Peter, an IT expert, believes the government is clueless on how to tackle the insecurity in the country.

"I would say they don't really know what they are doing in the government. They should resign and leave," said Peter.

Bright Godwin, a marketing specialist, also has little faith in the government.

"The goal of every government and why they have been put in power is to protect the interests of the nation and then to protect the lives of its citizens," he said. "Now, these children are the future of our nation, Niger, Iowa, and if such a thing is happening, and we are not seeing tangible results, it shows that the competency of the government is not as it is supposed to be."

Mass school kidnappings are especially common in northern Nigeria, and the Kebbi school is close to conflict hot spots, including Zamfara and Sokoto states, where several gangs are known to operate and hide out.

At least 1,500 students have been seized in the region since Boko Haram jihadi extremists seized 276 Chibok schoolgirls over a decade ago.

But bandits are also active in the region, and analysts say gangs often target schools to gain attention.

Nigeria's president, Bola Tinubu, postponed his trip to this weekend's Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, after promising to intensify efforts to rescue 24 schoolgirls who were abducted by gunmen earlier this week in a northwestern region of the country.