More than 100 Nigerian school students have been abducted in the north-western town of Kuriga, witnesses say.

The pupils were in the assembly ground around 08:30 (07:30GMT) 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, they added.

Kidnap gangs, known as bandits, have plagued much of the country in recent years, especially the north-west.

The eyewitness said that one pupil was shot by the gunmen and is currently receiving medical attention at the Birnin Gwari hospital.

An official of the Kaduna state government confirmed the incident to the BBC but failed to give details.

In January, bandits killed a school principal in the area and abducted his wife.

The kidnapping comes just a day after dozens of women and children were feared kidnapped by the Boko Haram Islamist group while they were collecting firewood in north-eastern Nigeria.

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