More than 300 children and staff are now believed to have been kidnapped by armed men from a Catholic school in central Nigeria, marking one of the most devastating mass abductions the country has witnessed.
The Christian Association of Nigeria confirmed that 303 students and 12 teachers were taken from St Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State. The number, which is far higher than early estimates, was updated after a verification exercise.
This attack comes at a time when armed groups are stepping up assaults on schools and communities. The revised figure now surpasses the 276 girls abducted during the notorious Chibok incident in 2014.
According to local police, the attackers stormed the school around 02:00 local time on Friday and seized students who were sleeping on the premises.
Dominic Adamu, whose daughters attend the school but were not taken, told the BBC the community is still in shock, saying everyone felt overwhelmed by the sudden assault. Another woman, in tears, said her nieces aged six and 13 were among those kidnapped and pleaded for their safe return.
Police say security agencies are currently searching nearby forests as part of efforts to rescue the victims.
In response to the attack, all schools in Niger State were ordered to shut down on Saturday.
Initial reports suggested that 215 pupils had been taken, but the number rose after new checks. AFP reports that the total figure may represent nearly half of the school’s population.
State authorities said the school ignored an earlier directive to shut all boarding facilities after intelligence suggested a higher risk of attacks. Officials added that the decision put students and staff in unnecessary danger. The school has not publicly responded to this claim.
Kidnapping for ransom by criminal gangs, locally known as bandits, remains a widespread problem in many areas of Nigeria. Although ransom payments have been banned by the government, the measure has done little to deter attackers.
Friday’s abduction is the third major kidnapping incident reported in Nigeria within a week. On Monday, more than 20 Muslim schoolgirls were abducted from a boarding school in nearby Kebbi State. A church in Kwara State was also attacked, leaving two people dead and 38 others kidnapped.
President Bola Tinubu has postponed his foreign trips, including attendance at the G20 summit in South Africa, to address the growing security crisis. Rising insecurity has stirred frustration and fear among citizens who are demanding stronger protection efforts.
The mass abduction also comes amid heightened debate in the United States, where right-wing figures including former President Donald Trump claim Christians are under targeted attack in Nigeria. The Nigerian government strongly rejects this narrative, insisting that extremist groups attack Muslims, Christians and people of no faith alike.
In the north-east, jihadist groups have been fighting the government for more than ten years. Observers say most victims of these groups are Muslim, mainly because attacks often occur in the predominantly Muslim northern regions.
Central Nigeria also experiences frequent clashes between mostly Muslim herders and largely Christian farmers. Experts note that these conflicts are usually driven by competition over resources like land and water rather than religion.
The kidnapping draws renewed attention to memories of the 2014 Chibok tragedy when Boko Haram took 276 girls from their school, sparking a global outcry led by figures such as Michelle Obama. While many of those girls have since been freed or escaped, around 100 remain missing.
