Gunmen have kidnapped at least 20 university medical students in north-central Nigeria, the police said Friday.

Catherine Anene, a police spokesperson, confirmed to Anadolu Agency that they got the report of the kidnapping of medical students on a highway in the north-central Benue State late Thursday.

"Investigation is ongoing," she told Anadolu.

Dozens of medical students from some universities in the northern part of the country on board two buses to attend a religious event were ambushed by an armed gang around Otukpo in Benue State, the police said.

The incident was not immediately known due to the remoteness of the area.

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