Gunmen attacked a high school in northwestern Nigeria before dawn on Monday, taking 25 schoolgirls and killing at least one staffer, authorities said of the latest abduction of students in the region.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for abducting the girls from the boarding school in Kebbi state and their motivation was unclear.

Nigeria is facing a multidimensional security challenge, specifically from amorphous groups of armed bandits who specialize in kidnapping for ransoms — sometimes totalling thousands of dollars — and have been responsible for several high-profile abductions across Nigeria's northern region.

Kidnappings, attacks on villages and along major roads have become common because of the limited security presence.

'Sophisticated weapons'

The bandits are not b

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