Nigeria labels bandit gangs ‘terrorists’ in bid to stem violence – Al Jazeera

Nigeria’s government has labelled criminal gangs as “terrorist” organisations. The gangs are blamed for mass kidnappings. Earlier this week, soldiers rescued 97 hostages, who were abducted more than two months ago. The classification will lead to harsher penalties. Al Jazeera’s @Fidelis Mbah reports from Abuja, Nigeria.

Nigeria: Gunmen kidnap 140 school students in northwest Kaduna State

Gunmen attacked a boarding school in northwestern Nigeria’s Kaduna state on Sunday night. Some 140 students were kidnapped, presumably to exchange them for ransom, a member of the school said. “Attackers took 140 students with them, 25 managed to escape,” details Emmanuel Paul, who teaches at the Bethel Secondary School boarding school. Some 165 students