More than 300 schoolchildren, 12 teachers abducted in St Mary’s school
A total of 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were abducted by gunmen during an attack on St Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in north-central Nigeria’s Niger state, the Christian Association of Nigeria said Saturday, updating an earlier tally of 215 schoolchildren.
The tally was changed “after a verification exercise and a final census was carried out,” according to a statement issued by the Most Rev Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Niger state chapter of CAN, who visited the school on Friday. He said 88 other students “were also captured after they tried to escape” during the attack. The students were both male and female and ranged in age from 10 to 18.
The school kidnapping in Niger state’s remote Papiri community happened four days after 25 schoolchildren were seized in similar circumstances in neighbouring Kebbi state’s Maga town, which is 170 km away.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abductions and authorities have said tactical squads have been deployed alongside local hunters to rescue the children.
Yohanna described as false a claim from the state government that the school had reopened for studies despite an earlier directive for schools in that part of Niger state to close temporarily due to security threats.
“We did not receive any circular. It must be an afterthought and a way to shift blame,” he said, calling on families “to remain calm and prayerful”.
School kidnappings have come to define insecurity in Africa’s most populous nation, and armed gangs often see schools as “strategic” targets to draw more attention.
UNICEF said last year that only 37% of schools across 10 of the conflict-hit states have early warning systems to detect threats.
The kidnappings are happening amid US President Donald Trump’s claims of targeted killings against Christians in the West African country. Attacks in Nigeria affect both Christians and Muslims. The school attack earlier this week in Kebbi state was in a Muslim-majority town.
The attack also took place as Nigerian National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu was visiting the US where he met Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday. The abductions took place days after gunmen on Monday attacked a high school and abducted 25 schoolgirls in the neighbouring Kebbi state, in Maga, around 170 kilometres from Papiri. One of the girls later escaped and is safe, the school’s principal said.
In a separate attack on Monday in Kwara state, which borders Niger state, gunmen attacked a church, killing two people. During the attack, 38 worshippers were also abducted, Femi Agbabiaka, secretary of the Christ Apostolic Church, told The Associated Press on Friday. He said that the kidnappers are demanding a ransom of 100 million naira (USD 69,000) for each person taken.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu cancelled his trip to this weekend’s Group of 20 summit in South Africa over the recent events. Vice President Kashim Shettima will represent the president at the summit, the presidency said on X on Friday.
“We will use every instrument of the state to bring these girls home and to ensure that the perpetrators of this wickedness face the full weight of justice,” Shettima said during a visit to Kebbi state on Wednesday. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Niger and Kebbi state, but analysts and locals say gangs often target schools, travellers and remote villagers in kidnappings for ransom.
Authorities say the gunmen are mostly former herders who have taken up arms against farming communities after clashes between them over strained resources.
Abductions have come to define the insecurity prevailing in Africa’s most populous nation.
At least 1,500 students have been abducted in the region since Boko Haram jihadi extremists seized 276 Chibok schoolgirls more than a decade ago. But bandits are also active in the region, and analysts say gangs often target schools to gain attention.
Nigeria was recently thrust into the spotlight after US President Donald Trump singled the country out, stating that Christians are being persecuted — an allegation that the government rejected.
While Christians are among those targeted, analysts say that the majority of victims of armed groups are Muslims in Nigeria’s Muslim-majority north, where most attacks occur.