The girls were removed from their hostels by armed men who invaded the Government Women’s High School in the city of Jangebe, a senior government official with knowledge of the incident told CNN.
A police officer was killed in the attack, according to the source, who declined to be identified because he was not allowed to speak officially.
“They came on about 20 motorcycles and marched the kidnapped girls into the forest,” said the source. “The bandits arrived around 1:45 am and operated until about 3 am
“The sad part is that there is a military checkpoint about four minutes from the school,” he added.
Usually about 500 students attend the boarding school, of which about 315 were taken by the gunmen. Others managed to escape and return to their hostels, the source said.
A state police spokesman told CNN that a detailed statement would be released as they gathered what happened. He declined to comment on the number of students kidnapped in the incident.
Later on Friday, the force said in a statement that a “heavily armed” joint search and rescue operation was launched.
The disturbed parents of some of the high schools spoke to CNN on Friday, with one saying that his daughter was apparently seized in pajamas.
“My daughter is among those who were taken because I saw her things being left behind,” Jummai Haruna, mother of Hafsat Abubakar, told CNN.
“I believe she was taken wearing only her sleepwear because I found her hijab and school uniform.”
“I miss her so much already. Nobody told me anything about my daughter’s whereabouts. She was always with me. Her father died when I was still pregnant with her. Now I don’t know what to do,” said Haruna.
Narama Umar’s niece, Asmau Lawali, 14, is also among the missing.
“The government should, please, help bring our daughters back. Many parents were crying at school. This is very sad, we want our daughters back,” Umar told CNN.
Another resident, Safiyanu Jangebi, told CNN that he heard gunshots at the time of the kidnapping and described how onlookers clashed with police at the scene.
“There are police officers all over the school, young people are furious and now they are throwing stones at the police. The governor’s wife was also here. They also threw stones at her, shouting ‘Allah will punish you’ and ‘We will not forgive you,’ said Jangebi.
Amnesty International said the incident was a “war crime”.
The latest abduction occurred just two weeks after at least 42 people, including students, were kidnapped in a similar attack to a state school in the state of Niger, in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria. One student was killed in that attack, while 27 students, three teachers and nine family members were kidnapped. His current whereabouts are unknown.
UNICEF Friday expressed concern over reports of the night attack.
“We are angry and saddened by yet another brutal attack on school children in Nigeria,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF representative in Nigeria.
“This is a gross violation of the rights of the child and a horrible experience for children – an experience that can have lasting effects on their mental health and well-being. We totally condemn the attack and call on those responsible to release the girls immediately and for the government to take steps to ensure their safe release and the safety of all other school children in Nigeria. “
“Children should feel safe at home and at school at all times – and parents shouldn’t be concerned about their children’s safety when they send them to school in the morning,” said Hawkins.
Many parents are concerned about their children’s safety in schools in northern Nigeria.
The most prominent of the school kidnapping cases in the country was that of Chibok girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram in April 2014.