Gunmen killed three people in a school attack on Wednesday in Nigeria's central Kogi state, the police said, adding that joint security forces repelled the assault following a gun battle.

Kogi State police said gunmen riding on about 40 motorcycles stormed Iluke Bunu community, including a secondary school, prompting a response from police, the military and local vigilantes.

Security personnel engaged the attackers in a gun battle, forcing them to flee into nearby bush, the police said. One suspected attacker was killed during the exchange of gunfire, while joint forces launched operations to track down those who escaped.

Police confirmed the deaths of three people, including a school vice principal, a 70-year-old man and a 6-year-old child. One security operative was injured.

Suspected abduction

Authorities said there was no conclusive evidence of a mass abduction, though investigations were under way. A resident said some students may have been kidnapped, but this could not be independently verified.

School ​kidnappings have mostly taken place in the northwest of ​the country, ⁠where armed criminal gangs carry out abductions for ransom. Dozens of students kidnapped from southwestern Oyo state last month are still missing.