St. Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State, saw 215 students and 12 staff members taken early Friday morning, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria. Authorities had already ordered a temporary closure of all boarding schools due to rising security concerns.
Armed men reportedly took over the school and abducted students from their hostel. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu postponed foreign trips, including this weekend’s G20 summit in South Africa, in order to address the worsening security situation.
“Everybody is weak, it took everybody by surprise,” local resident Dominic Adamu told the BBC. Adamu’s daughters attend the school but were not abducted. “People are complaining about the state of security in our country,” he said.
State officials said the school failed to comply with orders to keep boarding facilities closed. "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,” authorities said in a statement.
The Trump administration has continued speaking out about the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, with President Trump earlier this month threatening to send troops “guns a-blazin” into the country if the government “continues to allow the killing of Christians.” On Thursday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth urged Nigeria to take “urgent and enduring action to stop violence against Christians,” saying the United States would “work by, with, and through Nigeria to deter and degrade terrorists that threaten the United States.”
Nigerian officials have denied Christians are being persecuted, with one official claiming “terrorists attack all who reject their murderous ideology - Muslims, Christians and those of no faith alike.”
