Gunmen kill 2 in raid on Nigerian army school in northwest

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Gunmen attacked a military training school in northwestern Nigeria early Tuesday, killing two military personnel and abducting another, an army spokesman said.

Bashir Jajira said the gunmen entered a residential area at the Nigerian Defense Academy in Kaduna state but did not provide further details on how the assailants gained access to the base. Efforts were underway to rescue the hostage, he said.

The attack comes amid mounting violence in Kaduna state, where already three mass school abductions have taken place this year alone including one near the military school in Afaka.

The increase in crime has been attributed to bandits, though some observers fear there may be links between the attackers in Kaduna and the Islamic extremist groups in northeastern Nigeria.

Boarding schools have been frequent targets of abductions for ransom in the northwest, though attacks on military bases are more rare.