Hundreds of anguished parents gathered at a Catholic school in Niger State on Friday, pleading for government action to rescue their abducted children.
Gunmen stormed the school before dawn on 21 November, seizing more than 300 students and staff in a swift, brutal raid.
School officials say at least 250 children remain captive, while 50 managed to flee during the chaos of the attack.
Parents describe long, painful days without news, fearing for children taken from their beds while still half-asleep and terrified.
“The children they took, some of them are still of tender age,” parent Abuchi Nwolisa told The Associated Press at the scene.
President Bola Tinubu declared a national emergency earlier this week, promising stronger policing as violent attacks escalate across the country.
Nigeria has endured two mass school abductions in just two weeks, including a separate kidnapping in Kebbi that ended in releases.
Mass kidnappings have become disturbingly routine in Nigeria, where armed groups exploit vulnerable communities and target schools for profitable ransom operations.
Since 2014, at least a dozen large abductions have shaken the country, with 1,799 students taken and some never recovered.
“We have parents with two, three, even five children held captive, and we must show the world this is real,” said mission spokesperson Stephen Okafor.
Tensions have risen further after US President Donald Trump threatened possible military intervention, citing alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
Nigeria rejected the accusations, insisting its security crisis stems from widespread armed violence affecting all regions and communities without religious distinction.
The latest abduction deepens national grief and underscores a relentless threat that continues to haunt families across the West African nation.
