Nigerian gunmen hijack school bus

By Africa correspondent Andrew Geoghegan

Posted Tue Sep 28, 2010 9:09pm AEST

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Gunmen in Nigeria are demanding a ransom from a private college after kidnapping 15 children on a school bus.

Primary and nursery school children were being driven to the college in Abia state when gunmen hijacked their bus.

The driver was held at gunpoint while the 15 children were abducted.

It is not known where the children are being held or if they have been harmed.

Local reports indicate the kidnappers are demanding a $150,000 ransom from the school.

Kidnappings are common in the oil-rich southern Nigerian state, where oil company workers and executives are often targeted.

It is believed the abducted children come from wealthy Nigerian families. (ABC news)

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