At least 80 children have been abducted by bandits in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The children, who are between the ages of 12 and 17, were kidnapped on Friday morning, according to BBC Hausa.
Some parents of the abducted children who spoke to the British media outlet said the victims were in the bush fetching firewood at about 8am when the assailants rounded them up and marched them into the forest.
Bandits have continued to attack residents in the state despite government interventions to address the problem.
The abductors have yet to reach the parents to make any demands as of the time the BBC reported the kidnap.
When contacted the Zamfara State Police Commissioner, Kolo Yusuf, confirmed the report but disputed the figures.
He said, “The incident happened in the bush. The people went to fetch firewood. Are they (media report) saying 80 people went to fetch firewood in the bush at the same time?”
When asked to confirm the numbers of the victims, the CP directed our correspondent to the Police Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Shehu.
When contacted, Shehu said, “We are working on it. Forget that figure, you will see the full details in our press release.”
Cc: Punch
Efforts to get the Zamfara State Government through the Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Dosara, to confirm the report proved abortive as his phone lines were switched off.