Nigeria's Defence Minister Bashir Magashi has urged citizens to be alert in the wake of rising attacks on villages by unknown gunmen.

He told journalists that people should not be "cowards" when confronted by gunmen who "at times carry few ammunition".

''It is the responsibility of everybody to keep alert and find safety when necessary. But we shouldn't be cowards. At times the bandits will only come with about three rounds of ammunition, when they fire a shot everybody runs... I don't know why people run away from a minor thing like that. They should stand.''

''Let these people know that even the villages have the competencies and capabilities to defend themselves."

It is the responsibility of everybody to keep alert,
defend yourselves; we shouldn't be cowards -
Minister of Defense, Maj. Gen (Rtd) Bashir Salihi Magashi pic.twitter.com/JoGnnohaV9

— AIT (@AIT_Online) February 17, 2021

The minister's comments came a day after gunmen killed a school pupil and abducted 27 other children in a night-time raid at a boarding school in north-central Niger state.

Three members of staff and 12 of their relatives were also abducted, according to state governor Abubakar Sani Bello.

On Monday, about 20 people who were returning from a wedding ceremony were abducted after an attack on their bus in Niger state. Their fate is unclear.