This photo released by the Christian Union of Nigeria shows the hostels of St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School after gunmen abducted children and staff in Papiri community of Nigeria on Friday.
Christian Association of Nigeria/AP
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Christian Association of Nigeria/AP
ABUJA, Nigeria – Gunmen abducted a total of 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers during an attack on St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in Niger state in north-central Nigeria, the Christian Union of Nigeria said on Saturday, updating the previous figure of 215 schoolchildren.
The tally was changed “following a verification exercise and a final census”, according to a statement released by Most. Chairman of the Niger State chapter of CAN, Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohana, visited the school on Friday.
He said 88 other students were also “captured after trying to escape” during the attack. The students were both male and female and ranged in age from 10 to 18 years.
The school kidnapping in the remote Papiri community of Niger state came four days after 25 schoolchildren were captured in similar circumstances in the town of Maga in neighboring Kebbi state, 170 kilometers (106 miles) away.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abduction and officials have said local hunters as well as tactical squads have been deployed to rescue the children.
Yohana described as false the state government’s claim that schools have reopened for learning despite an earlier directive to temporarily close schools in that part of Niger State due to security threats.
“We did not find any circular. This would have been an afterthought and a way to shift blame,” he said. He called on families to “remain calm and prayerful.”
School kidnappings have come to define insecurity in Africa’s most populous country, and armed gangs often view schools as “strategic” targets to attract more attention.
UNICEF said last year that only 37% of schools in 10 conflict-affected states had early warning systems to detect threats.
Niger State has now closed all schools as a measure to prevent further kidnappings. The decision is to protect lives and property, Niger Governor Omar Bago told reporters on Saturday after a meeting with security officials in Minna.
“It is the decision of the stakeholders today to close all schools in Niger State. All schools are closed until further notice. We have therefore declared Christmas holiday for all schools in Niger State,” Bago said.
The kidnappings come amid US President Donald Trump’s claims of targeted killings against Christians in the West African country. Attacks in Nigeria affect both Christians and Muslims. Earlier this week a school was attacked in a Muslim-majority town in Kebbi state.
The attack also came while Nigerian National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu was on a visit to the US where he met with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday.