Gunmen have kidnapped more than 50 children from three schools in the same town in north-eastern Nigeria, teachers and parents have reported.

Most of those missing are aged between two and five years old.

Eyewitnesses who witnessed the attacks in Mussa, Borno state, on Friday morning stated that the suspects used the children as human shields while fleeing on motorbikes, making it difficult for security forces to intervene.

No group has claimed responsibility for this horrific atrocity. Government officials have not responded to media inquiries, but a press release from Senator Ali Ndume noted that at least 42 children were abducted from two of the affected schools.

The kidnappings targeted the Government Day Secondary School, Mussa Central Primary School, and State Universal Basis Education Board (SUBEB) Secondary School.

Some reports suggest the attacks bear the hallmark of Boko Haram, the extremist group notorious for violent abductions in the region.

Nigeria has been grappling with a surge of mass kidnappings carried out by various armed groups. The local population in Borno state has endured years of insecurity, and these latest kidnappings have sent parents into panic, with many feeling compelled to flee the area.

Traumatized parents told reporters they are left in despair over the fate of their children. One father, wishing to remain unidentified, expressed his wife's inconsolable grief after their daughter was snatched away by the assailants.

Headmaster of Mussa Central Primary School, Abdu Dunama, described hearing gunfire prior to the armed men storming the school premises and rounding up the students. He confirmed that 34 of the children taken were nursery students aged five and under.

The suspected militants reportedly arrived shortly after a patrol by Nigerian troops had completed its rounds, which some residents believe facilitated the attack.

As of now, local structures are appealing to the government for urgent assistance to secure the return of the abducted children. Dunama has stated that security forces are currently pursuing the kidnappers.