By Abdulgafar Oladimeji, our Nigeria correspondent 

Unknown gunmen attacked a Government Science College in North Central Nigeria, abducting 27 students, teachers and their family members, Gambiana has learned.

A student, who pleaded for anonymity, told Gambiana how he narrowly escaped being a victim of the attack. 

He said the armed men arrived at the school compound in the early hours of Wednesday morning (about 2am).

“We were in our hostel, when some men came into the school through the bush path, they were dressed in military uniform, we hid inside a corner in one of the hostels, they could not see us.

“They ransacked everywhere inside the school compound, they operated for about 3 hours, before taking away our colleagues and teachers through the school footpath into the bush. 

“Some of our teachers and their family members were taken away by the armed men.” 

The governor of Niger State where the incident occurred, Abubakar Bello, called on the federal govrment to declare a state of emergency on the security situation in Nigeria. 

Governor Bello, reacting to the abduction of the 27 students in his state, after a close door meeting with Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari,lamented the poor security architecture in Nigeria.

President Muhamamdu Buhari has described the incident as brazen. 

The president’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, in a message released via his twitter handle stated that the federal government will pursue the safe return of the abducted school children.

Nigeria’s police chief, IGP Muhammad Adamu, confirmed the incidence, he said rescue operations have commenced, stressing that part of the operation is an aerial surveillance that has  been mounted by police forces to find the culprits and also to rescue the victims.

According to IGP Adamu, special forces drawn from the Nigeria police, Nigeria ‘s military and sister security agencies have commenced combine operation under the code name Operation Puff Adder. 

He added that police authorities in the West Africa nation have deployed tactical intelligence and investigative asset , comprising four mobile police units to tackle the crime.

The United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres have condemned the abduction of the school children, describing the incident as abhorrent and unacceptable. 

The UN chief called on Nigerian government not to spare any efforts to rescue the  abducted children.

Gambiana.com recalls that the abduction of the students of government science college Kagara is coming three months aftermath of the abduction of 300  students from government secondary school Kankara in Katsina state North West Nigeria.