Gunmen raided a government secondary school in northern Nigeria's Katsina state, police said on Saturday.
In an apparent kidnapping attempt for ransom, hundreds of pupils may have fled and locals told AFP that several were captured.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday condemned the attack and ordered security reinforcement in other schools.
The gunmen stormed Government Science Secondary School at Kankara late on Friday.
"The bandits came on motorcycles, firing sporadically, and tried to enter the school," state police spokesman Isa Gambo said.
"Our men, with the assistance of the army, engaged them in a shootout lasting one and a half hours."
The gunmen were forced to retreat and were being tracked, but the spokesman made no mention of casualties.
About half of the school's 800 pupils were missing, a parent and school employee told Reuters.
Reinforcements had been sent to search for any missing pupils.
"This morning about 200 students who fled for safety during the assault returned to the hostel," he said.
The police said an inspector was injured and was receiving treatment.
Local residents said several students were kidnapped by the attackers, who split into two groups.
"The kidnappers fought with security personnel," Nura Abdullahi told AFP. "While the fighting was continuing another group went into the school and took away several students.
"Some of the students who escaped returned to the town this morning but others took a bus home.
"The school is deserted. All the students have vacated."
Another resident, Ibrahim Mamman, said most of the pupils had escaped, "but some were captured and taken away by the bandits".
"Nobody can say how many students were abducted because there has not been a headcount," Mr Mamman said.
Local media reported that scores of pupils might have been abducted.
Mr Buhari on Saturday urged security forces to arrest the gunmen.
"I strongly condemn the cowardly bandits' attack on innocent children at the Science School, Kankara," he said.
"Our prayers are with the families of the students, the school authorities and the injured."
Katsina, Mr Buhari's home state, is among several in north-west Nigeria repeatedly attacked by bandits who kidnap for ransom and rustle cattle.
In August, seven students were kidnapped with their female teacher from a private secondary school in nearby Kaduna state.
The hostages were later released but it was not revealed if a ransom were paid.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
FULL%20RESULTS
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Company%20Profile
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Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
The five pillars of Islam
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
Company profile
Company: Eighty6
Date started: October 2021
Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Hospitality
Size: 25 employees
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investment: $1 million
Investors: Seed funding, angel investors
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km