Reports from the north-central Nigerian town of Kagara in Niger state say gunmen have stormed a boys' boarding secondary school and abducted a yet to be known number of students and staff.

A local official at the school told the BBC that the gunmen attacked the institution in the early hours of Wednesday.

He said a number of students had been abducted as well as four staff and their families. Some students fled during the attack.

The authorities are doing a headcount to ascertain the actual number of abductees, he added.

It’s not clear who carried out the attack but kidnappings for ransom are rampant across Nigeria, with Niger state being among the worst affected.

In December more than 300 schoolboys were abducted in the town of Kankara in Katsina state. They were later released after negotiations with the gunmen.