More than 300 children and staff have been abducted from a Catholic school in Niger state, Nigeria, in what is feared to be one of the country’s worst mass kidnappings on record.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said on Saturday that its revised tally showed 315 people taken from St Mary’s School during Friday’s attack, up from an earlier estimate of 227. The figure includes 303 students and 12 teachers, with 88 of the children reportedly captured while attempting to flee.
If confirmed, the abduction would surpass the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, when 276 students were taken by Boko Haram militants. The incident highlights a surge in attacks by armed groups and Islamist insurgents across Nigeria.
The Niger state government claimed the school had ignored instructions to close boarding facilities due to intelligence warnings of possible attacks. However, CAN’s local chairman, Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, disputed this, saying no such directive had been issued. “We are working with the government and security agencies to see that our children are rescued and brought back safely,” Yohanna said.
Friday’s abduction was the third mass kidnapping in Nigeria this week. On Monday, 25 schoolgirls were taken from a boarding school in Kebbi state, while on Wednesday gunmen abducted 38 worshippers during a church service in Kwara state. The Nigerian government has since ordered nearly 50 federal colleges to close, with additional shutdowns in public schools across several states.
The incident comes amid heightened scrutiny from Washington, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened military action earlier this month over the treatment of Christians in Nigeria. A senior U.S. State Department official said on Thursday that measures under consideration include sanctions and Pentagon-led counterterrorism support.
Nigeria’s government has rejected claims of religious persecution, arguing that the country’s security challenges are complex and that efforts are being made to safeguard religious freedom.
