Mass Abduction at Nigerian Boarding School
In a devastating security breach, more than 200 students have been forcibly taken from their school in northwestern Nigeria, marking the country's second mass abduction within a single week. According to the Christian Association of Nigeria, armed militants stormed St Mary's School in Agwara, Niger state, during the early hours of Friday, 21st November 2025.
The assailants seized 215 students and 12 teachers from the Catholic boarding school, which serves children aged 12 to 17. The institution also operates an adjoining primary school facility containing over fifty classrooms and dormitory buildings, highlighting the scale of the educational complex targeted by kidnappers.
Community in Despair as Children Disappear
Family members expressed profound distress as they awaited news about their missing children. Dauda Chekula, 62, confirmed that four of his grandchildren, aged between seven and ten, were among those abducted. "We don't know what is happening now, because we have not heard anything since this morning," Mr Chekula stated, voicing the anxiety gripping the community.
According to eyewitness accounts from escaped students, the attackers continued moving with the remaining captives into nearby bushland. Daniel Atori, spokesperson for the Niger state chapter of the Christian Association, met with distraught parents to assure them that coordination with government and security agencies was underway to secure the children's safe return.
Security Failures and Previous Attack
Abubakar Usman, secretary to the Niger state government, revealed in an official statement that authorities had received prior intelligence about heightened security threats. "Regrettably, St Mary's School proceeded to reopen and resume academic activities without notifying or seeking clearance from the state government, thereby exposing pupils and the staff to avoidable risk," the statement read.
This latest incident follows another mass kidnapping that occurred just days earlier on Monday, when 25 schoolgirls were abducted from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in the neighbouring Kebbi state. In that attack, armed men on motorcycles conducted a well-planned assault around 4am local time. One 15-year-old student managed to escape her captors and found refuge at a teacher's residence.
The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora reported that during the assault on St Mary's, a security staff member was "badly shot" while attempting to protect the school. No group has yet claimed responsibility for either abduction, though analysts note that criminal gangs frequently target educational institutions for ransom payments.
Broader Pattern of Violence and International Response
These incidents form part of a disturbing pattern of violence affecting northern Nigeria. Separately, gunmen attacked a church in Kwara state on Monday, killing at least two worshippers and kidnapping 38 others. The perpetrators have subsequently demanded a ransom of 100 million naira (£52,660) for each captive.
The security crisis has become so severe that President Bola Tinubu has postponed foreign trips to address the situation domestically. Since the infamous 2014 kidnapping of 276 Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram extremists, at least 1,500 students have been abducted in the region, according to security analysts.
The recent events have thrust Nigeria into the international spotlight, particularly after former US President Donald Trump singled out the country, alleging widespread persecution of Christians—a claim firmly rejected by the Nigerian government.
