Abuja, Nov. 22 (AP) Gunmen stormed a Catholic boarding school in Nigeria’s western region and kidnapped more than 200 schoolchildren Friday, the Christian Association of Nigeria said, in the latest spate of kidnappings in Africa’s most populous country.
The attack and kidnapping took place at St. Mary’s School, a Catholic Institution in Papiri Community of Agwara Local Government.
The attackers detained 215 pupils and students as well as 12 teachers, said Daniel Atori, a spokesman for the Niger state branch of CAN.
“I just returned to the village tonight after visiting the school where I also met the parents,” Atori said in a statement, quoting Mostek Reverend Bulus Dauwa, chairman of CAN in Niger. The statement added that the association was working “to ensure the safe return of our children”.
The Niger State Police Command said the abductions took place in the early hours of the morning and military and security forces have since been deployed to the community. It described St. Mary’s as a secondary school that would serve children between the ages of 12 and 17 in Nigeria.
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A satellite image shows that the campus is attached to an adjacent elementary school with more than 50 classroom and dormitory buildings. It is located near the main road connecting the towns of Yelwa and Mokwa.
Dauda Chekula, 62, said four of his grandchildren, aged between 7 and 10, were among the abducted schoolchildren.
“We don’t know what’s happening now because we haven’t heard anything since morning,” Chekula said. “The children who managed to escape have scattered, some have run back to their homes and the only information we are getting is that the attackers are still moving with the remaining children into the bush.
A statement by the Secretary to the Niger State Government said the abduction took place despite earlier intelligence warnings of increased threats.
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“Unfortunately, St. Mary’s has reopened and resumed academic activities without giving notice or seeking permission from the state government, exposing pupils and staff to unavoidable risk,” it said.
Umar Yunus, a resident of Papiri, said only local security measures were in place at the time of Friday’s attack, with no official police or government forces guarding the school.
The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora said in a statement that a security service worker was “heavily shot” during the attack.
Meanwhile, the authorities have closed 47 universities of federal unity in the country, which are mostly in the conflict-torn northern states. Unity Colleges – a group of elite government schools with attendance from across the country – are to be closed immediately, according to a circular issued by Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Education.
The abductions came days after gunmen stormed a secondary school and kidnapped 25 schoolgirls in neighboring Kebbi state in the town of Maga, about 170 kilometers from Papiri, on Monday. One of the girls later escaped and is safe, the school principal said.
In a separate attack on Monday in Kwara state, which borders Niger, gunmen attacked a church and killed two people. 38 worshipers were also kidnapped during the attack, Femi Agbabiaka, secretary of the Christ Apostolic Church, told the AP on Friday. He said the kidnappers were demanding a ransom of 100 million naira ($69,000) for each abducted person.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has canceled his trip to the Group of 20 summit in South Africa this weekend due to recent events. The President will be represented at the summit by Vice President Kashim Shettima, the Bureau said on Friday X.
“We will use all the instruments of the state to bring these girls home and ensure that the perpetrators of this wickedness face the full weight of justice,” Shettima said during a visit to Kebbi state on Wednesday.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Niger state and Kebbi, but analysts and local residents say gangs often target schools, travelers and remote villagers in kidnappings for ransom.
Authorities say the militants are mostly former herdsmen who took up arms against farming communities after clashes between them over strained resources.
Kidnappings define the insecurity prevailing in Africa’s most populous country.
At least 1,500 students have been kidnapped in the region since Boko Haram jihadist extremists seized 276 schoolgirls from Chibok more than a decade ago. But bandits are also active in the region, and analysts say gangs often target schools to gain attention.
Nigeria recently came under the spotlight after US President Donald Trump singled out the country and said Christians are being persecuted – a claim the government has denied.
While Christians are among the target groups, analysts say most of the victims of the armed groups are Muslims in northern Nigeria, where most of the attacks take place.
Analysts and residents blame the uncertainty on the failure to prosecute known attackers and on rampant corruption that limits the supply of weapons to security forces while ensuring a steady supply of gangs.
Eze Gloria Chidinma, 27, a Lagos-based influencer also known as “Riaz Kitchen,” told The Associated Press that her sister managed to escape the school by jumping a fence during the attacks.
Chidinma said this is not the first time her family has been affected by rampant kidnappings in the country.
“My mother and my older brother were kidnapped last year. We called security, we called the police and they just said there was nothing they could do,” she said, adding that the family had to pay a “huge amount of money” to rescue them.
“My message to the authorities right now is to think of the people. Your job is to protect lives and property. People’s lives should matter to you,” Chidinma added.
Yohanna Buru, a pastor and head of the Peace Revival And Reconciliation Foundation, an organization focused on interfaith dialogue, called on the authorities to increase security around schools in areas affected by the security crisis.
“If the government was doing enough, then there wouldn’t be rampant kidnappings all over the country,” he said. “It’s like they don’t care about our children’s future.” (AP) GRS GRS
Disclaimer: This story was published from the agency’s news feed without editing the text. Only the title was changed.
