Attack on school.

The Christian Association of Nigeria said that on Friday gunmen attacked a Catholic boarding school in Nigeria’s western region and kidnapped more than 200 schoolchildren. This is one of the major incidents of kidnapping in Africa’s most populous country. The attack and kidnapping took place at St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in the Papiri community of Agwara local government. Daniel Atori, spokesman for Canada’s Niger state chapter, said the attackers took 215 students as well as 12 teachers hostage.

“I have returned to the village after visiting the school at night, where I also met with the parents,” Atori said in a statement, quoting the Most Reverend Bulus Dauwa, president of Canada in Niger. The statement further said that the association is working to ensure the safe return of our children.

Army and security forces deployed in the area

The Niger State Police Command said the kidnapping took place in the early hours of the morning and has since deployed military and security forces to the area. He described St. Mary’s as a secondary school, which caters to children aged 12 to 17 in Nigeria. Satellite images show that the school complex is attached to a primary school, which has more than 50 classrooms and hostels. It is located near a major road connecting the towns of Yelwa and Mokwa.

The attackers took children hostage

62-year-old Dauda Chekula said that the kidnapped schoolchildren also included his four grandchildren, aged between 7 and 10 years. Chekula said that we do not know what is happening right now, because we have not heard anything since this morning. The children who managed to escape have scattered, some of them have fled back to their homes and the only information we are getting is that the attackers are still taking the remaining children into the bushes.

Kidnapping despite prior intelligence warning

A statement from the secretary of the Niger state government said the kidnapping took place despite prior intelligence warnings of increasing threats. It said, unfortunately, St. Mary’s School resumed academic activities without informing or obtaining approval from the state government, thereby exposing students and staff to unnecessary risk.

A security guard was shot

Papiri resident Omar Yunus said that at the time of Friday’s attack, there was only local security at the school and no official police or government forces were deployed. The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora said in a statement that a security guard was shot during the attack. Meanwhile, authorities have closed the country’s 47 federal unity colleges, mostly located in conflict-hit northern states. According to a letter issued by the Federal Ministry of Education of Nigeria, these are to be closed immediately.

series of kidnapping incidents

The kidnappings came days after gunmen attacked a high school on Monday in Maga, about 170 kilometers from Papiri, in neighboring Kebbi state, and abducted 25 schoolgirls. The school principal said that a girl later escaped and is safe.

Gunmen attacked a church

In a separate attack in Kwara state, which borders Niger state, gunmen attacked a church, killing two people. Femi Agbabiaka, secretary of Christ Apostolic Church, told The Associated Press on Friday that 38 worshipers were also abducted during the attack. He said the kidnappers were demanding a ransom of 100 million naira (US$69,000) for each person.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has canceled his trip to this weekend’s G-20 summit in South Africa due to recent events. The President’s Office said on Friday that Vice President Kashim Shettima will represent the President at the summit.

kidnapping for ransom

Shettima said during his visit to Kebbi State on Wednesday that we will make every possible effort in the state to bring these girls back home and give strict punishment to the culprits of this crime. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks in Niger and Kebbi state, but analysts and locals say the gangs often target schools, travelers and remote villages in kidnappings for ransom.

Authorities say the gunmen are mostly former herders who have taken up arms against farming communities after clashes broke out between them over lack of resources. The insecurity prevailing in Africa’s most populous country has come to the fore in the form of kidnapping.

Kidnapping of 1,500 students

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

Recently, Nigeria came into limelight when US President Donald Trump targeted the country and said that Christians are being persecuted, although the government rejected this. Analysts say most of the victims of armed groups are Muslims in Nigeria’s Muslim-majority northern region, where most of the attacks occur.

Successful in escaping by jumping the school fence

Eze Gloria Chidinma, a 27-year-old influencer from Lagos, also known as Riyaz Kitchen, said her sister had managed to escape by jumping over the school fence during the attacks. Chidinma said this is not the first time his family has been affected by rampant kidnappings in the country.

He said that my mother and my elder brother were kidnapped last year. We called the security, the police, and they just said they couldn’t do anything. He told that the family had to pay a huge amount to free him.

Call to increase security around schools

Chidinma further said, my message to the officials at this time is that they should think about the people. Your job is to protect life and property. People’s lives should matter to you. Pastor Yohana Buru, head of the Peace Revival and Reconciliation Foundation, an organization focused on interreligious dialogue, called on authorities to increase security around schools in areas affected by the security crisis. He said that if the government had been taking adequate steps, there would not have been incidents of large-scale kidnapping across the country. It seems as if they do not care about the future of our children.