Kidnappers in Nigeria seize school bus full of children in country’s east, police say

Nigeria kidnappers seize school bus full of kids

ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigerian police say kidnappers have seized a school bus full of children in the country’s southeast.

Federal police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu said Tuesday that officers and investigators were on their way to Abia state to look into Monday’s attack.

Ojukwu gave no other details and said he did not know how many children were aboard the bus.

Abia state has seen a sharp increase in kidnappings for ransom over recent months. The state has been beset by lawlessness as kidnappers in the West African nation increasingly target the country’s burgeoning middle class.

Kidnappings have grown increasingly common across Nigeria, an oil-rich country of 150 million people where most live on less than $1 a day.