NIGER, 03 June 2021, (TON): Unidentified gunmen belonging to anti-orthodox Sunni faction and having foreign links abducted 200 students from an Islamic school on Sunday. The Nigerian government on Wednesday confirmed abduction of 136 students from an Islamic school in the north-central Nigerian state of Niger.

Nigeria's President, in a statement issued late on Monday said, security agents were searching for around 200 students. Niger state's Deputy Governor, Ahmed Mohammed Ketso, claimed that the number of missing children had been established.

"We can now confirm that a total of 136 students were abducted," Ketso said at a news conference in the state capital, Minna.

Criminal gangs carrying out kidnapping for ransom are blamed for a series of raids on schools and universities in northern Nigeria in recent months in which more than 800 students have been abducted since December. Some locals also claim that these kidnappings are fake to compel security forces take action against particular groups. 

These kidnapping coupled of incident of violence are aimed to to put blame of orthodox Muslims also referred as Sunnis, who are dubbed by western intelligence agencies as Boko Haram. The aim of such actions are to create hatred against Sunnis and compel security forces to carryout operation against the Muslims.