Mass Abduction at St. Mary's Catholic School
In a devastating security incident that has shaken Nigeria, armed men stormed St. Mary's Catholic School in Papiri, Agwarra local government of Niger State in the early hours of Friday, November 21, 2025. The attackers, arriving around 2:00 AM local time, targeted students residing in the boarding facilities, leading to one of the largest school abductions in the country's history.
Fifty Students Make Daring Escape
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) delivered a glimmer of hope on Sunday, November 23, announcing that fifty of the abducted pupils had managed to escape their captors between Friday and Saturday. Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, Chairman of CAN's Niger state chapter, confirmed the children had safely reunited with their families.
Following a thorough verification exercise, CAN provided revised figures confirming that 303 students and 12 teachers were originally taken during the raid. This number surpasses the infamous 2014 Chibok schoolgirl abduction, where 276 girls were initially taken by Boko Haram.
Government Response and Security Fallout
The Niger State government responded to the crisis by ordering the immediate closure of all schools across the state on Saturday. Officials revealed that the school had ignored prior instructions to suspend boarding operations despite intelligence warnings, thereby exposing students and staff to what authorities called "avoidable risk."
Security forces have launched extensive search operations in nearby forests in efforts to rescue the remaining abductees. The incident represents the third mass abduction in Nigeria within a single week, following:
- The kidnapping of more than 20 schoolgirls from a boarding school in Kebbi State on November 17
- A church attack in Kwara State that resulted in two deaths and 38 abductions
President Bola Tinubu has postponed foreign trips, including attendance at the G20 summit in South Africa, to address the country's escalating security challenges. The series of attacks has intensified public concern over the rising threat posed by armed gangs, commonly referred to as bandits.
While ransom payments have been outlawed in an effort to reduce kidnappings, attacks continue unabated. Some international observers have characterized recent abductions as part of a wider pattern of attacks against Christians, though the Nigerian government disputes this claim, emphasizing that terrorists target all who reject their ideology regardless of religious affiliation.
Security analysts note that in northern and central Nigeria, violence often stems from conflicts over resources rather than religious identity, complicating the security landscape as the nation grapples with this ongoing crisis.
