Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -- Police in Nigeria have confirmed that the 15 schoolchildren whisked away by kidnappers earlier this week were all Nigerian nationals.
Four gunmen boarded a school bus carrying the nursery and primary school children from Abayi International School in southeastern Nigeria's Abia state and took the children away.
There were questions as to whether the youths were foreigners because they attended the international school. Police are not releasing the identities of the kids, and don't know their whereabouts.
The kidnappers contacted the children's school, located near the city of Aba and demanded 20 million naira, or around $130,000.
Just after the incident, authorities said the bus driver and the school teacher who were on board were in police custody and helping security forces.
Abia state is often referred to as the "kidnapping capital" of Nigeria since abductions occur there on a weekly basis.
Schools, banks and businesses have closed in the area because of the rampant insecurity and dangers posed by kidnappers.
The problem began after armed youths began to attack oil facilities and kidnap expatriate oil workers in Nigeria's southern oil-producing region.
CNN
