At least one person was killed, and two others injured when security forces in Nigeria shot live rounds at a crowd gathered outside a government school in Zamfara state, Nigeria on Wednesday.

The crowd had gathered to catch a glimpse of the reunion with their parents, of some of the students who had been kidnapped last week.

Police shot at the group to disperse them, when some tried to enter the school building. Local media reports that security forces opened fire when some youths threw stones at the convoy of the Commissioner of Security and Home Affairs.

The government of Zamfara state announced a curfew, following the incident.

Africa News reports that, anxiety stricken and furious, parents departed with their daughters from the school on hearing the gunfire. The girls were reunited with their parents after 6 days of having been held captive after they were abducted from Government Girls Secondary School last week. They were aged 10 and above. While the Nigerian government said 317 girls had been kidnapped, 279 girls had been freed. According to Africa News, its unclear whether there had been an error in the numbers, or if some girls were still being held.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. However, it is believed that criminal gangs who often stage kidnaps for ransom were behind the mass abduction.

Umm Muhammed Umar