ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) – A significant incident occurred in north-central Nigeria's Niger state, where gunmen abducted a total of 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers from St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution. This figure was revised from an earlier estimate of 215 schoolchildren, as confirmed by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Saturday. The adjustment followed a thorough verification process and a final census carried out by the Most. Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, the chairman of CAN's Niger state chapter, who visited the school on Friday.
Yohanna stated that an additional 88 students were captured while attempting to escape during the assault. The victims included both male and female students aged between 10 and 18 years old. This alarming school kidnapping in the remote Papiri community took place just four days after another similar incident, where 25 schoolchildren were abducted in Kebbi state’s Maga town, located approximately 170 kilometers (106 miles) away.
As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for these abductions, which are part of a larger trend of school kidnappings in Nigeria that has characterized insecurity in the country. Authorities have deployed tactical squads alongside local hunters in an effort to rescue the abducted children. Yohanna has dismissed claims from the state government suggesting that the school had reopened for studies, emphasizing that there had been no official communication regarding such a decision. He referred to the government's statement as an "afterthought" that shifts the blame elsewhere, urging families to remain calm and prayerful amid the crisis.
The pattern of school kidnappings has increasingly highlighted the insecurity that plagues Africa's most populous nation. Armed gangs frequently target schools as "strategic" locations to gain attention due to their vulnerable nature. A report from UNICEF indicated that only 37% of schools across ten conflict-affected states in Nigeria have effective early warning systems to detect potential threats.
These kidnappings occur against a backdrop of rising tensions, with former U.S. President Donald Trump previously suggesting that there are targeted killings against Christians in Nigeria. However, attacks in the nation affect both Christian and Muslim populations, as evidenced by the recent incident in Kebbi state which occurred in a predominantly Muslim town. Additionally, the attack coincided with Nigerian National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu's visit to the United States, where he met with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
As the situation unfolds, the need for improved security measures and protective strategies for schools becomes increasingly apparent, as communities grapple with the implications of these alarming kidnappings.
