The attackers were armed with “sophisticated weapons” and exchanged gunfire with security personnel before abducting the girls, Mr. Kotarkoshi said. He reported that one person was killed and another injured, although a local resident, whose daughter and granddaughter were among those kidnapped, believes the death toll may be two.
“A joint team is currently searching suspected escape routes and nearby forests in a coordinated operation aimed at rescuing the abducted students and apprehending the attackers,” the spokesperson added.
Since the Chibok kidnappings, at least 1,500 students have been abducted, as armed groups increasingly turn kidnappings into a lucrative means of financing other crimes and asserting control over villages in the nation’s mineral-rich but poorly policed regions.
