Terrorists kidnap nearly 300 school pupils in Nigeria

Gunmen abduct hundreds of pupils in one of Nigeria’s worst school attacks this year

Nigeria is reeling from one of its darkest weeks in recent memory as armed groups launched back-to-back attacks on learning institutions, abducting nearly 300 students and teachers across two states and leaving families in anguish.

The coordinated nature and scale of the assaults, occurring within just days, have renewed fears about the nation’s worsening security crisis and the unchecked rise of school-targeted kidnappings.

The first attack unfolded before dawn on Monday in Kebbi State, when armed men suspected to be bandits stormed the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area.

The gunmen breached the school premises at about 4 a.m., overpowering security and whisking away 25 schoolgirls from their hostel.

Police spokesperson Nafiu Abubakar Kotarkoshi confirmed the assault, explaining that tactical units deployed to the school engaged the attackers in a gun duel but were unable to prevent the abductions.

“Unfortunately, the suspected bandits had already scaled through the fence of the school and abducted twenty-five students from their hostel to an unknown destination,” he said.

A staff member, Hassan Makuku, was fatally shot during the invasion, while another staffer, Ali Shehu, suffered a gunshot wound to his right hand.

In response, security operatives, including additional police tactical squads, soldiers, and local vigilantes launched a pursuit, combing forest routes believed to be used by the fleeing attackers.

Kotarkoshi said the mission aims to “rescue the abducted students and possibly arrest the perpetrators of the dastardly act.”

Before the country could recover from the shock in Kebbi, an even more devastating attack struck Niger State, where terrorists invaded St Mary’s Catholic Secondary School in the early hours of Friday.

While early reports suggested dozens of students were taken, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State, Bulus Yohanna, revealed after visiting the school that the number was far higher.

“From our record, 215 pupils and students including 12 teachers were abducted by the terrorists,” he said in a statement quoted by Reuters.

The police in Niger confirmed the invasion but stated that the exact number of abductees was still being determined.

According to police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun, the gunmen entered the school around 2 a.m., attacked the hostel area, and escaped with a large group of students.

Security teams have since been deployed to the forests surrounding the community to track the attackers.

The two mass kidnappings came just days after gunmen raided a church in neighbouring Kwara State, abducting worshippers in another brazen nighttime attack.

Although there is no confirmation that the three incidents are linked, the rapid succession has triggered nationwide alarm.

The gravity of the situation forced President Bola Tinubu to cancel his scheduled trip to South Africa for the G20 summit.

According to the presidency, he remained in Nigeria to receive security briefings “following the abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi and the attack on worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State.”

With hundreds of schools already shut in northern Nigeria due to insecurity, the nearly 300 students taken in just one week underscores the deepening vulnerability of children and teachers, targets who should be the safest in any society.