The attackers, described by police as armed bandits, reportedly stormed the boarding facility around 2:00 a.m., seizing 215 pupils and 12 staff members. The abduction comes despite a government directive ordering the temporary shutdown of all boarding schools in the state following intelligence reports of heightened security threats.
According to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the abduction has left the entire community devastated. Many families have gathered near the school, anxiously awaiting updates on their loved ones.
Local resident Dominic Adamu told the BBC that fear and frustration now dominate the town. “Everybody is weak… People are complaining about the state of security in our country,” he said. Another distressed relative said her nieces, aged six and 13, were among those taken.
Government officials said the school had reopened without permission despite earlier warnings, thereby exposing students to “avoidable risk.” St. Mary’s Catholic School has yet to respond to the allegation.
Security agencies are currently combing surrounding forests in an effort to locate and rescue the abducted pupils and staff.
The attack comes amid renewed national and international attention on insecurity in Nigeria. Earlier this week, more than 20 Muslim schoolgirls were abducted from a boarding school in Kebbi State. In Kwara State, two worshippers were killed and 38 abducted when gunmen attacked a church during a live-streamed service.
The recent violence has forced President Bola Tinubu to postpone planned foreign trips, including attendance at the G20 Summit in South Africa, to focus on Nigeria’s worsening security situation.
International pressure has also mounted. U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, have raised concerns over violence against Christians in Nigeria—claims strongly rejected by the Nigerian government, which insists extremists attack both Muslims and Christians alike.
Nigeria continues to battle overlapping security crises, ranging from banditry in the northwest and central regions to jihadist insurgency in the northeast. Kidnapping for ransom has become increasingly common, despite laws prohibiting ransom payments.
Two of the schoolgirls abducted earlier in the week in Kebbi State have reportedly escaped, but 23 remain missing.
