ABUJA, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- At least 215 students and 12 teachers were abducted early Friday when suspected terrorists attacked a school in Nigeria's central state of Niger, said the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

The CAN is an umbrella organization containing numerous denominations in the most populous African country.

Daniel Atori, a spokesman for the CAN in Niger state, said in a statement late Friday that the students and teachers were being held hostage by suspected terrorists who were attacking St. Mary's School, a private institution in the Agwara local government area.

Atori said the figure was put together after he met the parents of the abducted children to assure them that "we are working with the government and security agencies to see that our children are rescued and brought back safely."

The students, aged 12 to 17, were abducted from their dormitory when the gunmen invaded the school premises on Friday.

Abubakar Usman, secretary to the Niger state government, had confirmed the incident without giving an exact number of victims, noting that the incident had occurred despite earlier intelligence reports indicating heightened security threats in parts of the state.

He further said that the government, based on the alerts, had ordered the suspension of all construction activities and the temporary closure of all boarding schools in the affected zone. However, St. Mary's School had reopened and resumed academic activities without notifying or seeking clearance from authorities, "thereby exposing pupils and staff to danger."

Local security agencies had launched a full-scale investigation and search-and-rescue operations to ensure the safe return of the pupils.

Wasiu Abiodun, spokesperson for the Niger state police, told Xinhua by telephone that tactical units of the paramilitary agency, along with military components and other security agencies, had been deployed to the scene, combing nearby forests in an effort to rescue the abducted students.

The attack in Niger is the second such incident this week in the West African country, following the kidnapping of at least 25 schoolgirls from a government-run secondary school in the northern state of Kebbi on Monday. Enditem