In Nigeria, more than 300 children and staff were abducted from a Catholic school in a recent incident. The Christian Association of Nigeria reported that 303 students and 12 teachers were taken by gunmen from St Mary’s School in central Nigeria, surpassing earlier reports of 215 pupils abducted. This abduction is part of a series of attacks by armed groups, known as bandits, who have been targeting individuals for ransom in the country.
The abduction took place when armed men raided the boarding school at approximately 02:00 local time on Friday, taking both students and staff. Local police are currently conducting search operations in the forests to rescue the kidnapped students. Authorities in Niger state stated that the school had disregarded warnings to close its boarding facilities due to increased security risks, leading to the exposure of students and staff to avoidable danger. The school has not responded to these allegations.
The number of abducted students in this incident exceeds the Chibok mass abduction of 2014 that drew global attention. Recent attacks on schools in Nigeria include the kidnapping of over 20 schoolgirls in Kebbi state and an attack on a church in Kwara state resulting in casualties and abductions. In response to these events, Nigeria’s central government has directed the closure of over 40 federal colleges for safety reasons.