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Gunmen person seized 10 women and children successful the latest kidnapping to stone Nigeria, constabulary said Tuesday (November 25, 2025), arsenic parents of dozens of children taken from a Catholic schoolhouse past week pleaded for their release.
Police said the Monday (November 24, 2025) nighttime raid successful the occidental authorities of Kwara targeted the colony of Isapa, which neighbours different colony wherever astatine slightest 35 radical were kidnapped a week before.
Last week, equipped gangs besides seized much than 300 children from a Catholic schoolhouse successful Nigeria’s north-central Niger state, 25 schoolgirls from different schoolhouse successful the northwestern authorities of Kebbi, and 13 girls successful the eastbound authorities of Borno.
Africa’s astir populous state is facing a long-running information situation fuelled by jihadist attacks and unit by “bandit” gangs that raid villages, termination radical and kidnap for ransom.
U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this period threatened subject enactment implicit what helium described arsenic the “mass slaughter” of Nigeria’s Christians — a assertion the Nigerian authorities rejects.
The religiously divers state of 230 cardinal radical is the country of long-brewing conflicts that person killed some Christians and Muslims, often indiscriminately.
Kwara authorities constabulary commissioner Ojo Adekimi said the attackers successful the latest raid were herders who had “shot sporadically” and seized women and children from section farming families.
“There is simply a manhunt for them. Policemen are successful the bush with section hunters,” helium told AFP.
One pistillate managed to flight and instrumentality to the village, helium said.
The raid comes 1 week aft gunmen killed 2 radical and kidnapped astatine slightest 35 worshippers successful an onslaught connected a religion successful Eruku, astir 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Isapa.
The abducted worshippers person since returned home.
‘Need my kid back’
Parents of children kidnapped successful the Catholic schoolhouse raid said they were hopeless for their release.
At slightest 50 victims taken from the school, St Mary’s, managed to escape, but much than 265 children and teachers are inactive being held.
“My lad is simply a tiny boy. He doesn’t adjacent cognize however to talk,” said Michael Ibrahim.
His son, who is four, suffers from asthma, helium said.
“We don’t cognize the information successful which the lad is,” said Ibrahim, adding the abduction had truthful sickened his woman that she had to beryllium taken to hospital.
Some of the children abducted are nursery-school age.
“I request my kid back. I request my kid back. If I had the powerfulness to bring my kid back, I would bash it,” different father, Sunday Isaiku, told AFP.
Four days aft the St. Mary’s children were taken, nary radical has claimed the abduction oregon contacted the schoolhouse demanding ransom.
“At this moment, what we privation is to get our 265 students and pupils back,” Reverend Bulus Yohanna of Kontagora Catholic diocese told AFP, urging the authorities to act.
“Please assistance us... to spot them back” and “reunite with their parents”.
‘Vile attacks’
Nigeria’s archetypal high-profile mas kidnapping was that of the Chibok schoolgirls successful 2014, erstwhile Islamist radical Boko Haram forced 276 girls from their dormitories successful the country’s northeast.
More than a decennary later, astir 90 of those girls are inactive missing.
Global struggle monitoring radical ACLED has recorded 42 incidents of unit targeting students successful Nigeria this year, a diminution from 71 successful 2024.
About 40% of the abductions progressive demands for ransom.
“Fragmented bandit groups and different equipped actors are the astir communal perpetrators successful these abductions,” said ACLED.
The United Nations condemned the spate of kidnappings.
“We are shocked astatine the caller surge successful wide abductions successful north-central Nigeria,” UN rights bureau spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters successful Geneva, urging the Nigerian authorities to halt the “vile attacks”.
The World Food Programme meantime warned that jihadist attacks and instability were pushing hunger to unprecedented levels successful bluish Nigeria.
Nearly 35 cardinal radical are projected to look “severe nutrient insecurity” successful the portion successful 2026, it said, with astir 15,000 expected to look “famine-like conditions” successful hard-hit Borno state.
