An unknown number of pupils have been abducted by armed men from a Catholic school in central Nigeria, marking the second school kidnapping in less than a week. The latest attack targeted St Mary's School in Papiri, Niger state, where authorities had already ordered the temporary closure of all boarding schools due to rising security threats. Details remain unclear but residents fear that close to 100 students and staff may have been taken away during the early-morning raid. Nigeria has faced a renewed wave of attacks by armed groups in recent days, including the kidnapping on Monday of more than 20 schoolgirls from a boarding school in nearby Kebbi state.
Police said armed men - locally known as bandits - stormed St Mary's School on Friday at about 02:00 local time (01:00 GMT) and abducted an unconfirmed number of students from their hostel. Fear and uncertainty have gripped the area as families wait for news. The authorities in Niger state stated that the school had disregarded an order to close all boarding facilities following intelligence warnings of heightened risks. Regrettably, St Mary's School proceeded to reopen and resume academic activities without notifying or seeking clearance from the state government, thereby exposing pupils and staff to avoidable risk.
The local police are currently conducting operations in the forests in hopes of rescuing the abducted students. Concurrently, increasing attacks on Christians and narratives surrounding religious violence have drawn international attention, particularly following statements from former U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the persecution of Christians in Nigeria. However, the Nigerian government has pushed back on these claims, claiming that attacks are indiscriminate, affecting all who reject the perpetrators' ideologies, regardless of faith.
Police said armed men - locally known as bandits - stormed St Mary's School on Friday at about 02:00 local time (01:00 GMT) and abducted an unconfirmed number of students from their hostel. Fear and uncertainty have gripped the area as families wait for news. The authorities in Niger state stated that the school had disregarded an order to close all boarding facilities following intelligence warnings of heightened risks. Regrettably, St Mary's School proceeded to reopen and resume academic activities without notifying or seeking clearance from the state government, thereby exposing pupils and staff to avoidable risk.
The local police are currently conducting operations in the forests in hopes of rescuing the abducted students. Concurrently, increasing attacks on Christians and narratives surrounding religious violence have drawn international attention, particularly following statements from former U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the persecution of Christians in Nigeria. However, the Nigerian government has pushed back on these claims, claiming that attacks are indiscriminate, affecting all who reject the perpetrators' ideologies, regardless of faith.
