Lagos, Jul 6 (IANS): Nigerian police has confirmed that 27 people kidnapped by gunmen from a secondary school in the country's northwestern state of Kaduna were rescued.

A group of unidentified gunmen stormed the Bethel Baptist High School in Damishi town, Chikun local government area, in the early hours of Monday, abducted an unknown number of students, the police said.

Mohammed Jalige, a police spokesperson in Kaduna, told Xinhua news agency that security operatives were immediately mobilised to the area following reports of the abduction.

"The gunmen overpowered the school's security guards and made their way into the students' hostel, where they abducted an unspecified number and took them to the forest," Jalige said.

According to the police spokesperson, a joint team of the Nigeria police, army and navy succeeded in rescuing 26 students and a female teacher safely while in pursuit of the attackers.

He said the rescue operation is still ongoing to ensure that all victims are safely returned.

Strategic measures will be in place to forestall further occurrence of "such a dastardly act of criminality against innocent children", he said.

There have been a series of gunmen attacks in Nigeria in recent months, leading to deaths and kidnappings.