Armed men attacked a Catholic boarding school in a western region of Nigeria and abducted several schoolchildren and staff early Friday, the latest in a spate of abductions in Africa’s most populous country just days after 25 schoolgirls were abducted in a neighboring state. The attack and abductions took place at St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in the Agwara local government’s Papiri community, said Abubakar Usman, the secretary to the Niger state government. He did not disclose the number of students and staff abducted, nor who might be responsible for the attack. Local media broadcaster Arise TV said 52 schoolchildren were abducted. The Niger State Police Command said the abductions took place in the early hours of Friday and that military and security forces have since been deployed to the community. It described St. Mary’s as a secondary school, which in Nigeria would serve children between the ages of 12 and 17.

Full report : Armed men abduct children and staff at a Catholic school in Nigeria, days after latest abduction.