Gunmen raided a government secondary school in northern Nigeria's Katsina state, police said on Saturday.
In an apparent kidnapping attempt for ransom, hundreds of pupils may have fled and locals told AFP that several were captured.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday condemned the attack and ordered security reinforcement in other schools.
The gunmen stormed Government Science Secondary School at Kankara late on Friday.
"The bandits came on motorcycles, firing sporadically, and tried to enter the school," state police spokesman Isa Gambo said.
"Our men, with the assistance of the army, engaged them in a shootout lasting one and a half hours."
The gunmen were forced to retreat and were being tracked, but the spokesman made no mention of casualties.
About half of the school's 800 pupils were missing, a parent and school employee told Reuters.
Reinforcements had been sent to search for any missing pupils.
"This morning about 200 students who fled for safety during the assault returned to the hostel," he said.
The police said an inspector was injured and was receiving treatment.
Local residents said several students were kidnapped by the attackers, who split into two groups.
"The kidnappers fought with security personnel," Nura Abdullahi told AFP. "While the fighting was continuing another group went into the school and took away several students.
"Some of the students who escaped returned to the town this morning but others took a bus home.
"The school is deserted. All the students have vacated."
Another resident, Ibrahim Mamman, said most of the pupils had escaped, "but some were captured and taken away by the bandits".
"Nobody can say how many students were abducted because there has not been a headcount," Mr Mamman said.
Local media reported that scores of pupils might have been abducted.
Mr Buhari on Saturday urged security forces to arrest the gunmen.
"I strongly condemn the cowardly bandits' attack on innocent children at the Science School, Kankara," he said.
"Our prayers are with the families of the students, the school authorities and the injured."
Katsina, Mr Buhari's home state, is among several in north-west Nigeria repeatedly attacked by bandits who kidnap for ransom and rustle cattle.
In August, seven students were kidnapped with their female teacher from a private secondary school in nearby Kaduna state.
The hostages were later released but it was not revealed if a ransom were paid.
Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
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MATCH INFO
RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')
Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)
Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin
On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE
Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”
