Military troops patrol Banki town in Nigeria's northeast. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

According to Katsina State police spokesman Gambo Isah, the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara was attacked Friday night by a large group of bandits armed with AK-47 rifles. Police engaged the attackers in a gunfight that gave some of the students an opportunity to scale the fence of the school and run to safety.

About 400 students are missing, while only 200 are accounted for, Isah said.