ABUJA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian security operatives early Wednesday successfully thwarted an armed attack against a university in the country's central state of Plateau, local authorities said.
The attack occurred in the early hours of Wednesday when a group of armed men stormed the female hostel of the Plateau State University in the Bokkos local government area of the state, firing shots indiscriminately and causing unrest among the students, John Agams, the spokesman for the school, told reporters in the state capital city of Jos.
One student was mildly injured, said Agams, noting that the gunmen attacked the institution to kidnap students. But in a swift response, security operatives, who were stationed within the university premises, engaged the attackers in a gun battle and prevented further harm to the students and staff.
The spokesman said normalcy had since returned within the premises.
Attacks on schools in Nigeria are not an uncommon occurrence in recent years, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country, where the Boko Haram insurgency and other militant groups are active. ■
