In Nigeria, over 300 children and staff members have been abducted from a Catholic school in a recent incident. The Christian Association of Nigeria reported that gunmen kidnapped 303 students and 12 teachers from St Mary’s School in central Nigeria. Initially, it was believed that 215 students were taken, but updated figures reveal that nearly half of the school’s student body has been taken by the armed groups, referred to as bandits, who have been carrying out a series of attacks in the country.
The abduction took place in the early hours of Friday when armed men invaded the boarding school in central Nigeria. Local police are conducting search operations in the forests to rescue the abducted students. Authorities in Niger state have criticized the school for not heeding warnings to close its boarding facilities due to security concerns, stating that this decision needlessly endangered the students and staff.
This mass abduction surpasses the notorious Chibok kidnapping in 2014 that garnered international attention and led to a global campaign for the return of the kidnapped girls. Recent attacks on schools in Nigeria include the abduction of more than 20 schoolgirls in Kebbi state and an attack on a church in Kwara state resulting in casualties and kidnappings. The central government has responded by ordering the closure of over 40 federal colleges in light of these incidents.