Gunmen killed one person during an airport attack in the northern Nigerian state of Kaduna on Saturday afternoon, three sources working at the airport said, the latest in a series of attacks by gunmen in the north of the country.

A ground crew and two airport officials said armed men entered the airport premises through a perimeter fence from a nearby forest and started shooting sporadically to scare workers, Reuters report.

"They opened fire on the NAMA (Nigerian Airspace Management Agency) security staff, killing him instantly and tried to invade the runway to prevent (an) aircraft from taking off," said the ground crew, who declined to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the press.

The two airport officials said armed security managed to repel the gunmen, preventing them from gaining access to the main airport complex.

A police spokesperson for Kaduna state did not respond to calls or text messages seeking comment.

Gunmen have spread terror across Nigeria's northwest, where they have attacked and killed villagers and security officials and kidnapped hundreds of school children and villagers for ransom.