In a devastating escalation of Nigeria's security crisis, armed bandits have stormed a Catholic school in central Nigeria, kidnapping nearly 100 students and staff members in the second such mass abduction within a week.
Early Morning Terror at St. Mary's School
Armed attackers invaded St. Mary's School in Agwara, Niger state between 1am and 3am on Friday, abducting pupils, teachers and a security guard who was shot during the assault. Local residents fear that approximately 100 students and staff were taken during the terrifying raid.
The Niger state government confirmed it had "received with deep sadness the disturbing news of the kidnapping" but noted that "the exact number of abducted pupils is yet to be confirmed as security agencies continue to assess the situation." State government secretary Abubakar Usman emphasised that security forces were working to establish precise numbers.
Pattern of Violence Escalates
This latest incident follows the abduction of 25 schoolgirls from a secondary school in Kebbi state in northwestern Nigeria just four days earlier on Monday. The back-to-back kidnappings have raised alarm across Africa's most populous nation about the deteriorating security situation.
Disturbingly, the school had reportedly defied orders to temporarily close all boarding schools in parts of Niger state following intelligence reports of an "increased threat level" in northern areas bordering Kebbi state.
National and International Response
Niger state police confirmed that tactical units and military personnel have been deployed to search for the missing students. Police stated that security agencies were "combing the forests with a view to rescue the abducted students."
The incident has drawn international attention, with former US President Donald Trump threatening military action over targeted killings of Nigeria's Christians by radical Islamists, though the Nigerian government rejects this narrative.
President Bola Tinubu's government has placed security forces on high alert and dispatched defence minister Alhaji Bello Matawalle to lead the search for the Kebbi schoolgirls. Matawalle brings experience from securing the release of 279 students aged 10-17 who were kidnapped from a Zamfara state secondary school in 2021.
Broader Security Crisis
For years, heavily armed criminal gangs known locally as "bandits" have intensified attacks in rural northwest and central Nigeria where state presence is minimal. These groups have established camps in vast forests straddling Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger states.
While bandits are primarily motivated by financial gain rather than ideology, security analysts express concern about their increasing alliance with jihadist groups from Nigeria's northeast, where Islamist insurgents have waged a 16-year rebellion aiming to establish a Caliphate.
The security crisis extends beyond schools, with gunmen killing two people during a church service in western Nigeria on Tuesday and abducting dozens of worshippers. As hostage-taking spirals nationwide, it has become a favoured tactic for both bandit gangs and jihadist groups, creating a multi-front security challenge for Nigerian authorities.
