Gunmen who kidnapped 121 Kaduna students have put a phone call across

Gunmen who abducted 121 students from Bethel Baptist School in Maraban Rido, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, in the early hours of Monday, July 5, 2021, have reached out to school authorities to say the kids are fine.

"They have called the school saying the children are alive and in good health. The children could be heard in the background crying and pleading to be rescued. The gunmen are yet to make any ransom demands," writes BBC's Mayeni Jones on Twitter.

Kidnapping for ransom has morphed into a huge enterprise in Nigeria's northern region.

The Baptist school kidnap was the 5th such mass abduction targeting schools in Kaduna since March.

Kaduna Governor Nasir Elrufai recently withdrew two of his children from public schools, following threats of kidnap by bandits.

The governor has also repeatedly vowed not to negotiate with bandits or gunmen.

More than 1,000 students have been kidnapped from schools in Nigeria's northern region since December, with more than 300 still missing.