Gunmen kidnap children from Nigerian Catholic school days after previous abduction

Gunmen attacked a Catholic boarding school in Nigeria’s northwestern region and kidnapped several schoolchildren and staff early Friday. it’s the latest in a series of kidnappings in Africa’s most populous country and came just days after 25 schoolgirls were kidnapped in a neighboring state. The latest kidnapping comes as the country faces scrutiny from the Trump administration amid ongoing concerns about violence against Christians in the West African nation.

The attack and kidnappings took place at St. Mary’s School in Niger State. Local officials did not reveal the number of students and staff kidnapped, nor who might be responsible for the attack. Local Nigerian broadcaster Arise TV said 52 schoolchildren were kidnapped.

Nigerian police officials said the abductions took place in the early hours of Friday and military and security forces have since been deployed to the community. They described St. Mary’s as a secondary school serving children between the ages of 12 and 17.

Niger State Government Secretary Abubakar Usman said in a statement that the incident occurred despite intelligence services having previously warned of increased threats.

“Unfortunately, St. Mary’s School proceeded to reopen and resume its academic activities without notifying or requesting authorization from the State Government, thereby exposing students and staff to avoidable risks,” the statement said.

The kidnappings occurred days later. Gunmen attacked a high school on Monday and kidnapped 25 schoolgirls in the neighboring state of Kebbi, in Maga, about 170 kilometers from Papiri. One of the girls later escaped and is safe, the school principal said.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu earlier this week postponed his trip to this weekend’s Group of 20 summit after vowing to step up rescue efforts.

“I am heartbroken by the kidnapping of our daughters in Kebbi and the painful loss of Brigadier General Musa Uba and the brave soldiers who fell in Borno. Their families and the families of the kidnapped schoolgirls are in my prayers,” Tinubu said in a social media post on Wednesday. “I have ordered security agencies to act quickly and return the girls to Kebbi State.”

Nigeria recently came into the spotlight after President Trump singled out the country and claimed that Christians are being persecuted, an accusation the Nigerian government rejected.

“If the Nigerian government continues to allow the slaughter of Christians, the United States will immediately suspend all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well enter that now-disgraced country, ‘with guns,’ to completely eliminate the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrific atrocities. I hereby direct our War Department to prepare for possible action,” Mr. Trump said in a Truth social post earlier this month.

Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar rejected Trump’s claims in a post on X earlier this month, saying that “Nigeria is a God-fearing country where we respect faith, tolerance, diversity and inclusion.”

In October, Trump designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” on a list of countries that the State Department says have violated religious freedom.

Earlier this week, Tinubu sent his national security adviser and a broader Nigerian delegation to Washington to meet with Trump administration officials and US lawmakers, the Reuters news agency reported on Friday.

The White House is considering sanctions and Pentagon engagement on counterterrorism as part of a plan to pressure Abuja to better protect Christian communities and religious freedom, a senior U.S. State Department official told Reuters on Thursday.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Niger and Kebbi states, but analysts and locals say gangs often kidnap schools, travelers and remote villagers for ransom. Authorities say the gunmen are mostly former herdsmen who have taken up arms against farming communities after clashes between them over resource scarcity.

The kidnappings have come to define the insecurity that prevails in Africa’s most populous nation and its painful consequences.

At least 1,500 students have been kidnapped in the region since Boko Haram jihadist extremists kidnapped 276 Chibok schoolchildren more than a decade ago. But bandits are also active in the region and analysts say gangs often attack schools to attract attention.

Analysts and residents blame the insecurity on a lack of prosecution of known attackers and rampant corruption that limits the supply of weapons to security forces while ensuring a steady supply to gangs.

A satellite view shows the school compound, rectangular in shape, surrounded by a wall and attached to an adjacent elementary school, with more than 50 classroom and dormitory buildings. It is located on the outskirts of Aguara town, close to the main Yelwa-Mokwa road.