BREAKING NEWS: The United States has condemned the abduction of students and teachers in Niger State, as well as the earlier kidnapping of schoolgirls in Kebbi State.
In one of the worst mass abductions in Nigeria's history, 50 children have managed to escape their captors after gunmen kidnapped more than 300 students from a Catholic school. The incident has triggered a major international response and a desperate search for the hundreds still missing .
The attack began in the early hours of Friday morning at St. Mary's School in the remote Papiri community of north-central Niger state. Armed men stormed the school and abducted students who were staying there . The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) initially reported 215 students were taken. After a verification exercise and a final census, the number was revised upward to 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers .
The school's proprietor stated that 88 additional students were counted after they were captured while trying to escape during the initial attack . The students were both male and female, ranging in age from 10 to 18 years old .
A statement on Sunday brought a measure of relief. Fifty of the abducted children had escaped between Friday and Saturday and have since been reunited with their families . This leaves 253 students and 12 teachers still in captivity . The Christian Association of Nigeria described the escape as a brave and risky attempt to flee . It remains unclear exactly where the children were held or how they managed to get away .
This mass kidnapping is part of a dangerous wave of attacks targeting schools and places of worship in northern Nigeria. Just days before the St. Mary's attack, 25 female students were seized from a government girls' boarding school in the neighboring Kebbi state. The school's vice principal was shot and killed during that raid . In a separate incident, a church in Kwara state was attacked, resulting in two deaths and the abduction of 38 worshippers, who were later freed .
The scale of the St. Mary's abduction now surpasses the infamous 2014 Chibok mass abduction, where 276 girls were taken by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram . According to a recent report from UNICEF, only 37% of schools in ten conflict-hit Nigerian states have early warning systems to detect threats like armed attacks .
In response to the crisis, authorities in Niger state have ordered all schools to close indefinitely. The state governor announced the move after meeting with security officials, stating it was a decision made to protect lives and property . The Niger state government also claimed that St. Mary's School had disregarded an earlier order to close its boarding facilities due to intelligence warnings about a heightened security risk. The school has not commented on this allegation .
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has postponed his foreign travel plans to address the security situation. He has also ordered the recruitment of an additional 30,000 police officers and directed the redeployment of all police officers assigned to VIP protection services to focus on core duties in remote areas prone to attacks .
The kidnappings have drawn global concern. Pope Leo XIV expressed his immense sadness and made a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages. He urged competent authorities to take timely decisions to ensure their freedom .
The incidents have also intensified a complex international debate. U.S. President Donald Trump has frequently expressed outrage over what he describes as a "mass slaughter" of Christians in Nigeria . Following a Fox News report, he threatened military action, stating that if the Nigerian government "continues to allow the killing of Christians," the U.S. might go into the country "guns-a-blazing" to wipe out Islamic terrorists .
The Nigerian government has rejected this characterization of the violence. Officials state that the claim Christians are being persecuted is a gross misrepresentation of reality . They emphasize that terrorists attack all who reject their ideology—Muslims, Christians, and those of no faith alike . This view is supported by experts and conflict monitors. They note that the violence in Nigeria is widespread and complex, involving insurgents, bandits, ethnic clashes, and land disputes . Most victims of jihadist groups are Muslim, as most attacks occur in the majority-Muslim north of the country .
The U.S. administration is now planning a broader strategy. A State Department official described an expansive approach that includes potential sanctions, assistance programs, and intelligence sharing with the Nigerian government, going beyond just the potential use of military force . Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Nigeria’s National Security Advisor, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to discuss ways to stop the violence .
Meanwhile, a major military-led search and rescue operation is underway for the remaining children and teachers. Police, the military, and local vigilantes are combing nearby forests and remote routes believed to have been used by the gunmen . No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abductions . The kidnappers are believed to be criminal gangs, known locally as "bandits," who see schools as strategic targets to draw attention and secure ransoms . The payment of ransoms has been outlawed in Nigeria, but the law has had little effect on the actions of these criminal groups .
For families in the region, the situation is agonizing. One woman tearfully told the BBC that her nieces, aged six and 13, had been kidnapped, saying, "I just want them to come home" . As the search continues, the nation and the world wait for news of the hundreds of students and teachers who remain in captivity.