The Guardian has reported that the leader of Boko Haram, the Islamist extremist group that abducted hundreds of schoolgirls in Nigeria six years ago, has yet again  claimed responsibility for the  abduction of hundreds of  students in north-western Katsina state last week. In an audio tape released on Tuesday, Abubakar Shekau said: “Our brothers were behind the abduction in Katsina.”

A large group of men armed with AK-47s was reported to  have overran the all-boys Government Science secondary school in the town of Kankara on Friday night, the men escorted  more than 300 students into surrounding forests.

According to The Guardian Boko Haram has also kidnapped 276 girls from their school dormitory in Chibok, in north-eastern Borno state.  The attack was initially blamed on armed groups locally known as "bandits", who are active in the unstable region where kidnappings for ransom are common.

Eye Witness News reported that t he army said on Monday it had located the hideout of the men, and that a military operation was under way. More than 100 gunmen on motorcycles stormed the rural school north of Kankara town, forcing the children to flee and hide in the surrounding bush. A number of boys were able to escape, but many were captured, split into groups and taken away, residents told AFP.