Toddlers among more than 50 schoolchildren kidnapped in Nigeria

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Toddlers among more than 50 schoolchildren kidnapped in Nigeria5 minutes ago Share Save Add 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 '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).

The Details

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 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 said 34 children - mostly nursery pupils aged five and under - were seized by the attackers from their classrooms. Residents, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspected militants arrived at the schools on motorcycles shortly after troops on patrol left the town. Witnesses said the gunmen fired sporadically, forcing residents to run for cover.

What Experts Say

Many parents watched helplessly from a nearby hill as their children were loaded onto motorcycles and taken away. Some older students managed to flee into nearby bushes during the chaos, according to residents. The largely farming community - already struggling economically - is now appealing urgently to the government to help secure the safe return of the children.

Dunama, who is in touch with security forces, says troops are currently on the ground and continuing efforts to track the abductors.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.