Mass Kidnapping at Nigerian Catholic School: Over 200 Children Taken
In one of Nigeria’s largest school abductions, gunmen stormed St. Mary’s Catholic boarding school in Niger state’s Papiri community, seizing 215 students and 12 teachers. The attack highlights the worsening security crisis in Africa’s most populous nation.
Key Details of the Attack
The abduction occurred in the early hours of Friday at St. Mary’s School, a secondary institution serving children aged 12-17. According to Daniel Atori of the Christian Association of Nigeria, the attackers targeted both the secondary school and an adjoining primary school.
Critical developments:
- Military and security forces have been deployed to the area
- A security staffer was “badly shot” during the attack
- The school had reopened without government clearance despite prior intelligence warnings
- Only local security was present during the attack
Dauda Chekula, 62, lost four grandchildren aged 7-10 in the abduction. “The children who were able to escape have scattered,” he said. “The attackers are still moving with the remaining children into the bush.”
Wider Pattern of Abductions
This incident follows multiple kidnappings across northern Nigeria:
- Monday: 25 schoolgirls abducted in Kebbi state (one escaped)
- Monday: 38 worshippers kidnapped from a Kwara state church, with kidnappers demanding $69,000 ransom per person
- Two people killed in the church attack
President Bola Tinubu canceled his G20 summit attendance, while Vice President Kashim Shettima vowed: “We will use every instrument of the state to bring these girls home.”
Security Crisis Context
No group has claimed responsibility, but analysts attribute such attacks to criminal gangs targeting schools for ransom and attention. These gunmen are mostly former herders armed after clashes with farming communities.
Since the 2014 Chibok girls abduction, at least 1,500 students have been taken in similar incidents.
Community Outrage Grows
Eze Gloria Chidinma’s sister escaped by jumping a fence, but her family has previous experience with kidnappers. “My mother and older brother were kidnapped last year,” she revealed. “We had to pay a huge amount to rescue them.”
Pastor Yohanna Buru criticized government inaction: “If the government was doing enough, rampant kidnappings would not have happened. It’s as if they don’t care about our children’s future.”
The incident has intensified calls for better school security and more effective prosecution of known attackers amid widespread corruption in security operations.
