The attack in Niger State is one of the largest mass kidnappings in recent years, coming just days after 25 schoolgirls were taken in a separate incident, highlighting a deepening security crisis.
PAPIRI, Nigeria – More than 200 children are missing after gunmen stormed a Catholic school in western Nigeria early Friday, in one of the country’s largest mass kidnappings in recent years, which has prompted a national outcry and forced the president to cancel an international trip.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said attackers struck St Mary’s School in the Papiri community of Niger State’s Agwara district, seizing 215 pupils along with 12 teachers. The assault comes just days after armed men abducted 25 schoolgirls from a secondary school in northwestern Kebbi State, underscoring a persistent and brazen kidnapping epidemic targeting educational institutions.
Daniel Atori, spokesperson for CAN in Niger State, who travelled to the besieged community, described a scene of anguish. “I just got back to the village tonight after I visited the school where I also met with parents,” he said, adding that the association is working “to ensure our children’s safe return.”
Panic and a Desperate Search
Residents described scenes of panic as families searched frantically for missing children in the wake of the pre-dawn attack.
“We don’t know what is happening now, because we have not heard anything since this morning,” said Dauda Chekula, 62, who told The Associated Press that four of his grandchildren, aged seven to 10, were among those taken. “The children who were able to escape have scattered … and the only information we are getting is that the attackers are still moving with the remaining children into the bush.”
Police confirmed the attack took place before dawn, receiving a report at about 2am (01:00 GMT) that “some armed bandits invaded St Mary’s Private [Catholic] Secondary School, and abducted a yet to be ascertained number of students from the school’s hostel.” A subsequent statement said soldiers and police tactical units had been deployed and were “combing the forests with a view to rescue the abducted students.”
The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora reported that a school guard was “badly shot” during the invasion. Residents noted the school lacked a formal security presence, a vulnerability highlighted in a statement from the Niger State government. The statement revealed that authorities had earlier received intelligence warning of increased threats in the area and claimed the school reopened “without notifying or seeking clearance from the State Government, thereby exposing pupils and the staff to avoidable risk.”
National and International Repercussions
The scale of the abduction triggered an immediate response at the highest levels of government. President Bola Tinubu cancelled his planned trip to the G20 summit in South Africa, with Vice President Kashim Shettima set to attend in his place, according to a presidency post on X.
The back-to-back school kidnappings and a deadly attack on a church earlier this week have plunged Nigeria into an uncomfortable security spotlight. The incidents come weeks after United States President Donald Trump threatened military action over what he described as targeted killings of Nigeria’s Christians—a narrative firmly rejected by the Nigerian government, which says Muslims are the majority victims of attacks by various armed groups.
Trump’s assertions, which have gained traction among right-wing and Christian evangelical circles, add a complex geopolitical dimension to the ongoing violence.
A Pattern of Violence
The attack on St. Mary’s is grimly familiar in a region plagued by armed groups, commonly referred to as “bandits,” who routinely carry out kidnappings for ransom.
Just days earlier, in the northwestern state of Kebbi, armed men stormed a secondary school and abducted 25 schoolgirls. Police said one girl later escaped, but 24 remain missing.
In a separate attack on a church in western Nigeria on Tuesday, armed men killed two people during a service and abducted dozens of worshippers. Gunmen who kidnapped 38 worshippers from a church in Nigeria’s Kwara State on Tuesday are now demanding a ransom of 100 million naira (roughly $69,000) per person, a church official told the Reuters news agency on Friday.
As security forces comb the vast forests of Niger State, the families of the more than 200 missing children are left with a torturous wait, their plight becoming the latest symbol of a profound national security crisis.
