In central Nigeria, more than 300 individuals, comprising students and staff, have been kidnapped from St Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State. According to the Christian Association of Nigeria, the figures have been updated to reflect 303 students and 12 teachers abducted, which exceeds initial estimates following a verification process.
The incident occurred early on Friday morning when armed men attacked the school around 2:00 AM local time. Local police confirmed that the assailants took students who were staying at the facility. Reports indicate this mass abduction is one of the largest in Nigeria’s recent history, surpassing the notorious 2014 Chibok kidnapping, whereby 276 girls were taken.
Authorities in Niger State criticized the school for disregarding an order to close all boarding facilities due to intelligence warnings of increased risks. They asserted that this decision put students and staff at unnecessary risk; however, the school has not publicly responded to these claims.
Kidnappings for ransom by armed groups have become rampant in Nigeria, prompting the government to outlaw ransom payments in an attempt to disrupt these criminal activities. Yet, this initiative appears to have had limited success. The mass abduction at St Mary’s marks the third such attack within a week, with previous incidents occurring in Kebbi State and Kwara State, involving the kidnapping of schoolgirls and the assault on a church.
In light of the escalating insecurity, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has postponed overseas engagements, including a scheduled trip to the G20 summit, to address the situation. The central government has ordered the closure of over 40 federal colleges and additional public schools in specific areas while citizens express increasing frustration and concern regarding safety measures for schools and communities.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3w7621xypyo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss