Key Takeaways
- Gunmen abducted 315 students and teachers from St Mary’s school in Niger state.
- This is one of Nigeria’s worst mass kidnappings since the 2014 Chibok incident.
- President Tinubu cancels international travel to handle the crisis.
Nigeria faces one of its worst mass kidnappings after gunmen abducted over 300 schoolchildren from a Catholic school in Niger state. The Christian Association of Nigeria confirmed 315 students and teachers were taken from St Mary’s co-education school on Friday.
Rising Abduction Figures
Initial estimates suggested 227 students were kidnapped. However, a verification exercise revealed an additional 88 students were captured while trying to escape. The Christian Association stated: “This now makes it 303 students… 12 teachers, bringing the total number of abducted persons to 315.” No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Second Attack in Kebbi State
In a separate incident on Monday, armed assailants stormed a secondary school in neighbouring Kebbi state, abducting 25 girls. These kidnappings occurred amid heightened security concerns following US President Donald Trump’s threats of military action against what he called the killing of Christians by radical Islamists in Nigeria.
Government Response
Though the Nigerian government hasn’t officially confirmed the numbers, the abducted represent nearly half of St Mary’s 629 students. Niger state governor Mohammed Umar Bago confirmed security agencies were conducting a head count, with official figures expected by day’s end.
As precautionary measures, Governor Bago ordered all schools in his state closed. The national education ministry extended this directive, shutting 47 boarding secondary schools nationwide.
International Ramifications
President Bola Tinubu cancelled his attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg to handle the crisis. Meanwhile, the Pentagon revealed that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Nigerian authorities to “take both urgent and enduring action to stop violence against Christians” during talks with National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu.
This mass kidnapping revives painful memories of the Chibok abduction, where Boko Haram jihadists kidnapped nearly 300 girls over a decade ago. Some of those victims remain missing today.
