Another heartbreaking wave of school kidnappings has struck Nigeria, as armed men stormed a Catholic boarding school and took away both students and staff in the latest troubling attack.
The abduction happened at St. Mary’s School, a Catholic boarding institution in Papiri community, under Agwara local government area, on Friday, according to Abubakar Usman, the secretary to the Niger State government.
He declined to give the exact number of victims or identify who might be behind the assault.
However, local broadcaster Arise TV reported that 52 schoolchildren were seized during the attack.
The Niger State Police Command confirmed the incident took place in the early hours of Friday and noted that military and security operatives have since been deployed to the area.
St. Mary’s is described as a secondary school serving children between the ages of 12 and 17.
According to the statement issued by the Niger State government, the school was attacked despite previous intelligence warnings about rising threats.
“Sadly, St. Mary’s School decided to reopen and resume classes without informing or seeking permission from the State Government, which put the pupils and staff in unnecessary danger,” the statement said.
The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora added that one security personnel was “badly shot” during the invasion.
This latest kidnapping comes only days after armed men abducted several schoolchildren in Kebbi State on November 17.
Just earlier this week, gunmen stormed a high school in Maga, Kebbi State, about 170 km (105 miles) from Papiri and kidnapped 25 schoolgirls. One of the girls later escaped and is safe, the school principal confirmed.
In another violent incident on Monday in Kwara State, which borders Niger, armed attackers invaded a church, killing two people. During the same attack, 38 worshippers were kidnapped, according to Femi Agbabiaka, secretary of Christ Apostolic Church.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has postponed his planned trip to this weekend’s G20 summit following the schoolgirls’ kidnapping and the church attack.
So far, no group has taken responsibility for the attacks in Niger and Kebbi States. Analysts and residents say criminal gangs frequently target schools, travelers, and isolated villages for ransom. According to authorities, many of these gunmen are former herders who turned to armed violence after clashes with farming communities over dwindling land and resources.
Kidnappings have become a defining part of Nigeria’s deepening insecurity and its devastating consequences.
More than 1,500 students have been abducted in northern Nigeria since Boko Haram militants kidnapped 276 Chibok schoolgirls over ten years ago. Today, heavily armed bandits are also active in the region, and experts say gangs target schools to draw public attention.
Nigeria recently made international headlines after US President Donald Trump alleged that Christians are being persecuted in the country, a claim the Nigerian government rejected.
Security experts and locals say the rising instability is largely due to the government’s failure to prosecute known attackers and widespread corruption, which deprives security forces of proper equipment while allowing criminal groups easier access to weapons.
Satellite imagery shows the school compound as a rectangular structure, walled off and connected to a nearby primary school, with more than 50 classrooms and dormitory buildings. It sits close to the main Yelwa–Mokwa road.
According to resident Umar Yunus, only local security volunteers were present at the time of the attack. There were no official police or government forces securing the school when the gunmen struck on Friday.
