Three students of the University of Bamenda in Cameroon’s troubled Anglophone region of Northwest were kidnapped Thursday night in the town of Bambili, local officials said Friday.

“Gunmen invaded the student hostels in the night and took them away. We have no idea where they were taken,” Michael Djomo, a student of the university who witnessed the abduction said. “It was a terrifying experience.”

School authorities said government forces have started a search and rescue operation.

No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.

Adolph Lele Lafrique, governor of Northwest region, has repeatedly said that kidnappings, which have become rampant in the region where separatists have been fighting government forces in a bid for independence, are orchestrated by “gang of criminals.”

Source: Xinhuanet