More than 200 children have been abducted after gunmen stormed a Catholic school in western Nigeria, in one of the country’s largest mass kidnappings in recent years.
The Christian Association of Nigeria said attackers struck St Mary’s School in the Papiri community of Niger State’s Agwara District early yesterday morning, seizing 215 pupils along with 12 teachers.
The spokesperson for Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger State, Daniel Atori said he had travelled to the community to meet distressed families and added that the association is working to ensure the children’s safe return.
Police confirmed the attack took place before dawn and said soldiers and other security personnel had been deployed and residents described scenes of panic as families searched for missing children.
A statement from the secretary to the Niger State government said that authorities had earlier received intelligence warning of increased threats in the area and the school had reopened without notifying or seeking clearance from the State Government, thereby exposing pupils and the staff to avoidable risk.
The school kidnappings and an attack on a church earlier this week come weeks after US President Donald Trump threatened military action over what he described as targeted killings of Nigeria’s Christians, a narrative rejected by the Nigerian government, which says Muslims are the majority victims of attacks by armed groups.
Additional Reporting from Associated Press.
