A Nigerian official said on Monday that government negotiators are in touch with kidnappers of 333 students of a secondary school in Katsina, a state in northwest Nigeria.

Aminu Masari, the State Governor, updated the information when he briefed President Muhammadu Buhari.

Unidentified gunmen gained entry to the Government Science Secondary School, a boarding school located in the Kankara area of the state last Friday night and seized the victims.

The Governor refused to disclose details of the negotiations as the authorities were trying to protect the victims and secure their release.

A security source told Xinhua that the gunmen might have made a ransom demand while assuring that all efforts are still being exerted to effect their release.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Defense, Bashir Salihi-Magashi said, the abducted students will be rescued soon, noting that security agents were working hard to ensure that the students were rescued.

Abductions for ransom are common in Nigeria and the school is located in an area that has become notorious for armed banditry.