The authorities in the northern Nigerian state of Kaduna have ordered the immediate closure of schools in areas vulnerable to attacks.

This comes a day after gunmen abducted about 150 students from a secondary school n the state. In a separate incident a mother and baby were taken from a hospital.

Security forces are now hunting the abductors to rescue the victims.

Kaduna state commissioner of education, Shehu Usman Muhammad, told the BBC that all schools located more than a 30-minute drive from a security outpost have been ordered to close until a new security arrangements are made.

It’s not yet clear what the new measures will be as the government appears overwhelmed by the widespread insecurity.

In the past, several states in northern Nigeria closed their schools but that did not solve the kidnapping crisis.

The region has the lowest rate of school enrolment in Nigeria. Observers believe insecurity is now worsening the problem.

Since December, more than 1,000 students have been abducted for ransom and nearly a dozen shot dead by criminal gangs.

The authorities are struggling to defeat the armed groups involved in the kidnappings.