Gunmen stormed a Catholic boarding school in western Nigeria early Friday and abducted more than 200 schoolchildren along with 12 teachers, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria, marking one of the largest mass kidnappings in the country in recent years.
The attack unfolded at St. Mary’s School in the Papiri community of Agwara local government area. Daniel Atori, spokesperson for the Niger state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, said 215 pupils and students were taken, in addition to a dozen staff members. He said he met with distressed parents at the school on Friday and vowed that the organization would work to secure the children’s safe return.
The Niger State Police Command said the abductions took place in the early morning hours and confirmed that military and security personnel have been deployed to the area. Authorities described St. Mary’s as a secondary school but satellite imagery shows a large compound with more than 50 classroom and dormitory structures connected to an adjoining primary school along a main road between Yelwa and Mokwa.
Families in the community say children as young as 7 were among those taken. Dauda Chekula, 62, said four of his grandchildren were abducted and that he has not received any information about their whereabouts. He said children who escaped ran in different directions and that residents believe the attackers are moving the remaining captives deeper into the bush.
A statement from the secretary to the Niger state government confirmed the abduction occurred despite earlier intelligence warnings of increased threats. Officials criticized St. Mary’s for reopening without notifying the state government or seeking authorization and said that decision exposed students and staff “to avoidable risk.”
Local residents said the school had only informal community security and no permanent police or military presence at the time of the attack. The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora said a security staffer at the school was “badly shot” during the assault.
The attack comes amid a wave of abductions targeting schools, churches and travelers across northern and central Nigeria. Authorities ordered the immediate closure of 47 federal unity colleges located in conflict-affected regions, according to a directive issued by the Federal Ministry of Education. The closures are intended to prevent additional mass kidnappings.
Friday’s abductions occurred just days after gunmen seized 25 schoolgirls from a high school in the neighboring Kebbi state. One girl escaped, but the rest remain missing. In another attack Monday in Kwara state, gunmen killed two worshippers at a church and abducted 38 others. Church officials said kidnappers are demanding 100 million naira, or about $69,000, per victim.
President Bola Tinubu canceled a planned trip to the Group of 20 summit in South Africa following the surge in violence. Vice President Kashim Shettima will represent him instead. During a visit to Kebbi state, Shettima promised that authorities would use “every instrument of the state” to rescue the abducted schoolgirls and ensure the perpetrators face justice.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Niger and Kebbi states. Analysts say heavily armed gangs—many of them former herders who turned to kidnapping after years of clashes with farming communities—routinely target schools and isolated villages for ransom. The trend has intensified since Boko Haram militants abducted 276 schoolgirls in Chibok more than a decade ago, an incident that drew global outrage. More than 1,500 students have been kidnapped across the region since then.
While the government has rejected allegations from U.S. President Donald Trump that Christians are being specifically persecuted in Nigeria, analysts note that victims include both Christians and Muslims in northern regions where armed groups operate with little resistance.
Residents say a lack of prosecutions and corruption that weakens the security forces have allowed mass kidnappings to flourish. Families say they are often left to negotiate ransoms themselves. Lagos influencer Eze Gloria Chidinma, known as “Riaz Kitchen,” said her sister escaped the attack at St. Mary’s by climbing a fence. She said her mother and brother were kidnapped last year and that authorities offered little assistance.
“My message to the authorities is to think about the people,” she said. “Your job is to protect lives and properties. People’s lives should matter to you.”
Yohanna Buru, a pastor who leads the Peace Revival And Reconciliation Foundation, urged the government to increase protection for schools in high-risk regions. He said rampant kidnappings reflect a broader failure to address insecurity.
“If the government was doing enough, then rampant kidnappings all over the country would not have happened,” Buru said. “It’s as if they don’t care about the future of our children.”
