Boko Haram has said it was behind the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolboys in Nigeria's north-western Katsina State, hinting at the group's continued expansive and deadly reach in recent weeks, the private Daily Nigerian website has reported.

At least hundreds of schoolboys at the Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina state are still missing in the wake of the Friday night attack.

According to Daily Nigerian, Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, said in a four-minute audio message that his group carried out the attack "because Western education is against the tenets of Islam".

"What happened in Katsina was done to promote Islam and discourage un-Islamic practices as Western education is not the type of education permitted by Allah and his holy Prophet," the website quoted Shekau as saying.

The site said that Shekau did not give details about the attack, the number of schoolboys abducted or confirm reports of negotiations with the government.