Gunmen have abducted 42 people, including 27 students, from a school in central Nigeria, a local government official said yesterday, downplaying initial reports that hundreds had been taken. One student was killed, he added. President Muhammadu Buhari, in a statement earlier, condemned the abductions and ordered a rescue operation. Heavily-armed gangs known locally as "bandits" active in northwest and central Nigeria have stepped up attacks in recent years, kidnapping for ransom, raping and pillaging.