At least 227 pupils and teachers were abducted in Nigeria’s Niger state in the country’s second mass school kidnapping this week, following the seizure of 25 schoolgirls in a separate incident.
The Christian Association of Nigeria said 215 students and 12 teachers were taken when attackers stormed St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in the Papiri community of Agwara local government. Daniel Atori, spokesperson for the group’s Niger state chapter, said he met with parents at the school and that the association was working to secure the children’s safe return.
Police said the abductions occurred in the early hours of Friday and that military and security forces had been deployed to the area. St. Mary’s is a secondary school serving students ages 12 to 17 and sits next to a primary school with more than 50 buildings, located near a major road linking Yelwa and Mokwa.
Local resident Dauda Chekula said four of his grandchildren, ages 7 to 10, were among those abducted. He said children who escaped fled into nearby homes and that remaining captives were being taken deeper into the bush.
A statement from the Niger state government said the abduction happened despite prior intelligence about heightened threats, adding that the school reopened without official clearance and exposed students and staff to “avoidable risk.” Residents told local media there were only community security volunteers on duty at the time of the attack.
The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora said a security staff member was “badly shot” during the raid.
Friday’s mass abduction came days after gunmen seized 25 schoolgirls from a high school in Kebbi state. One girl later escaped, according to the principal. Separately on Monday, gunmen attacked a church in Kwara state, killing two worshippers and abducting 38 others. Church officials said kidnappers demanded 100 million naira, about $69,000, for each person.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu canceled a planned trip to the Group of 20 summit in South Africa because of the attacks. Vice President Kashim Shettima will attend in his place. During a visit to Kebbi earlier this week, Shettima said the government would use “every instrument of the state” to bring the abducted girls home and ensure the perpetrators face justice.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Analysts say criminal gangs frequently target schools, travelers and rural communities for ransom. While Christians are sometimes targeted, experts note that most victims in Nigeria’s Muslim-majority north are Muslims. Insecurity has persisted across the region for years, with more than 1,500 students abducted since Boko Haram terrorists seized schoolgirls from Chibok in 2014.
Activists and residents say repeated kidnappings reflect failures to prosecute attackers, security gaps and corruption that limit weapons to security forces while enabling gangs to acquire arms. Eze Gloria Chidinma, a Lagos-based influencer whose sister escaped Friday’s attack, said her family previously paid ransom to free her mother and brother after police said they could not help. “People’s lives should matter to you,” she said in a message to authorities.
Yohanna Buru, a pastor and head of a peace and reconciliation group, urged officials to increase protection for schools in affected areas. “If the government was doing enough, then rampant kidnappings all over the country would not have happened,” he said.
