At least 28 of the nearly 300 schoolchildren kidnapped by gunmen have escaped, Nigeria’s Kaduna state governor has told BBC News.

The pupils were in the assembly ground when dozens of gunmen on motorcycles rode through the school, one witness said.

The students, between the ages of eight and 15, were taken away, along with a teacher.

Kidnap gangs, known as bandits, have seized thousands of people in recent years.

Nigeria’s army is leading a desperate search for the children taken in the northern town of Kuriga on Thursday.

Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUog

For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news

#Nigeria #BBCNews