Gunmen have abducted more than 300 students and teachers from St Mary’s school in Niger state, Nigeria, authorities confirmed Saturday.
The early Friday raid follows a Monday attack in Kebbi state, where 25 girls were kidnapped from a secondary school.
The Christian Association of Nigeria initially reported 227 people seized, later revising the number to 303 students and 12 teachers.
Victims, aged eight to 18, account for nearly half of St Mary’s 629-student population, local officials said after verification.
The Nigerian government has not publicly confirmed the updated figures, leaving families and communities anxious amid mounting security fears.
Niger state governor Mohammed Umar Bago said intelligence and police officials were conducting a headcount of the abducted students.
Authorities have ordered all schools in Niger state to close, while nearby states and 47 national boarding schools also shuttered.
President Bola Tinubu cancelled international engagements, including the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to address the escalating crisis at home.
Two school abductions and a church attack, which killed two and abducted worshippers, follow U.S. threats over violence against Christians.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Nigeria to take urgent and enduring measures to halt attacks on Christian communities.
In a video shared by CAN, a distraught St Mary’s staff described hearing motorcycles, gunfire, and children crying during the raid.
The attackers moved aggressively through dormitories for nearly three hours, according to the local Catholic diocese, before escaping undetected.
For residents near Abuja, fear and disbelief grew as schools shut and parents questioned the government’s ability to curb insecurity.
Gunmen, often motivated by ransom, operate in northwest and central Nigeria, where state presence is weak, increasingly aligning with northeastern militants.
§Authorities and analysts warn the expanding cooperation between criminal gangs and militants poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s fragile security.
