Keystone
According to a politician, unknown gunmen have kidnapped 42 schoolchildren in the West African country of Nigeria. The girls and boys had already been abducted on Friday during a major attack on the village of Mussa in Borno state, said Mohammed Ali Ndume, the senator for the Borno South constituency.
According to the report, 28 children were abducted from an elementary school and four others from a secondary school. In addition, ten children were dragged out of their homes and kidnapped, Ndume said. The kidnappers invaded the village on motorcycles.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. In north-eastern Nigeria, jihadist groups such as the Islamist militia Boko Haram and the offshoot IS West Africa (ISWAP), which is affiliated with the terrorist group Islamic State, have been fighting against the state for more than 15 years. Criminal gangs are also active in the region.
Kidnappings, especially of minors, occur time and again. The best-known case is the abduction of 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram in Chibok in April 2014. Dozens of the abducted girls are still missing today.
