Kidnappers abduct schoolchildren in northwest Nigeria-state governor spokesman

Kidnappers have abducted schoolchildren in northwest Nigeria's Zamfara state, a spokesman for the state governor said on Friday but declined to say how many people were taken or provide further details.

A police spokesman for the state did not immediately respond to calls and messages seeking comment. This is the second such kidnapping in a little over a week in Nigeria's north, where a surge in armed militancy in the northwest has led to a widespread and worsening breakdown of security.

Last week, unidentified gunmen killed a student in an overnight attack on a boarding school in the north-central Nigerian state of Niger and kidnapped 42 people, including 27 students. The hostages are yet to be released.