Nigeria reels after fresh school kidnappings as armed men abduct children and staff

Nigeria is facing yet another wave of distressing school kidnappings after armed men attacked St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, early Friday, abducting several students and staff. Authorities have not confirmed the exact number taken, but local broadcaster Arise TV reports that 52 schoolchildren were kidnapped.

Niger State government secretary Abubakar Usman said the attack occurred despite intelligence warnings of heightened threats. He criticised the school for reopening “without notifying or seeking clearance from the State Government, thereby exposing pupils and the staff to avoidable risk.”

Police confirmed that the abductions happened before dawn and that military and security units have been deployed to track the attackers.

The incident comes just days after 25 schoolgirls were abducted from a high school in neighbouring Kebbi State, where at least one staff member was killed.

While no group has yet claimed responsibility, Nigeria has long battled kidnapping networks ranging from Boko Haram — responsible for the infamous Chibok schoolgirl abduction in 2014 — to heavily armed criminal gangs known locally as bandits.

The repeated attacks underscore Nigeria’s deepening security crisis, with families once again left waiting anxiously for news of their missing children.