JANGEBE, NIGERIA — Armed men kidnapped 317 schoolgirls from a state-run school in Zamfara State, northwest Nigeria, police said in a statement on Friday, Feb.
26.
Citing an anonymous source, CNN reports the attack happened at 1:45 a.m.
Local time on Friday when unidentified gunmen arrived at the Government Girls Science Secondary School in Jangebe.
The Associated Press reports that the gunmen operated inside the school for several hours.
They also attacked a nearby military camp and checkpoint to prevent the military from interfering during the raid.
A police officer was killed in the attack, according to a CNN report, which cites what it calls a high-ranking government official with knowledge of the incident.
The attackers then loaded the girls onto their vehicles and drove away.
According to local media, most of the girls were between 12 and 16 years of age.
There are reports that the kidnapped girls were taken to the nearby Dangulbi forest, one of a number of forests in the area that have become a safe haven for criminal groups and terrorists.