A father in Niger state, Nigeria, spoke of his helplessness after armed men on motorcycles abducted dozens of students, including his son, from St Mary’s Catholic boarding school in Papiri village early Friday morning.
Theo, whose name has been changed for safety reasons, said he was asleep when the gunmen passed by his home with the children. He described the terrifying scene: the children were forced to walk in a controlled line, with those who stumbled being kicked to stand up, while around 50 armed motorcyclists oversaw the abduction.
“I felt like I should intervene, but I knew I couldn’t do anything,” Theo told the BBC. Although he alerted the police, they arrived too late to stop the kidnappers.
According to the Christian Association of Nigeria, 303 students and 12 staff members were taken, while 50 children escaped and were reunited with their families. Bishop Bulus Bawa Yohanna, who runs the school, confirmed the abduction list to the BBC. The Niger state police, however, said only a few students managed to escape.
Niger State Governor Umar Bago downplayed the numbers, claiming the actual figure was “far, far below” 303. He criticized the school for reopening despite previous threats and referred to the incident as a “scare,” assuring that all students would eventually be rescued.
Parents, frustrated by the slow government response, have gathered outside the school, expressing anger and disappointment. Theo said the governor had not visited the school and only met officials in a nearby community, leaving parents feeling abandoned.
The region, known for its dense forests, has recently become a hotspot for kidnappings for ransom, with criminal gangs exploiting the terrain for easy escapes. Despite the ban on ransom payments, these abductions continue to rise.
This school attack marks the third kidnapping incident in Nigeria within a week. Earlier, over 20 schoolgirls were kidnapped in Kebbi state, and a church in Kwara state was attacked, resulting in deaths and the abduction of dozens of worshippers.
President Bola Tinubu cut short his G20 summit trip to address the crisis. He confirmed the rescue of 38 worshippers abducted in Kwara state and pledged to protect all Nigerians.
The ongoing crisis has forced many boarding schools across Nigeria to close temporarily, with parents rushing to collect their children. While some attacks are carried out by Islamist militants, many are driven by criminal gangs seeking ransom, underscoring the nation’s deep security challenges.
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