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Armed men attacked a Catholic boarding schoolhouse successful a occidental portion of Nigeria and abducted respective schoolchildren and unit aboriginal Friday (November 21, 2025), the latest successful a spate of abductions successful Africa's astir populous state that came conscionable days aft 25 schoolgirls were abducted successful a neighbouring State.
The onslaught and abductions took spot astatine St. Mary's School, a Catholic instauration successful Agwara section government's Papiri community, said Abubakar Usman, the caput to the Niger State government.
He did not disclose the fig of students and unit abducted, nor who mightiness beryllium liable for the attack.
Local media broadcaster Arise TV said 52 schoolchildren were abducted.
The Niger State Police Command said the abductions took spot successful the aboriginal hours of Friday (November 21, 2025) and that subject and information forces person since been deployed to the community. It described St. Mary's arsenic a secondary school, which successful Nigeria would service children betwixt the ages of 12 and 17.
A outer presumption shows the schoolhouse compound is attached to an adjoining superior school, with implicit 50 classrooms and dormitory buildings. It is located adjacent a large roadworthy linking the towns of Yelwa and Mokwa.
The connection by the caput to the Niger State authorities said the incidental occurred contempt anterior quality informing of heightened threats.
“Regrettably, St. Mary's School proceeded to reopen and resume world activities without notifying oregon seeking clearance from the State Government, thereby exposing pupils and the unit to avoidable risk,” it read.
Umar Yunus, a Papiri resident, said determination were lone section information arrangements and nary authoritative constabulary oregon authorities forces securing the schoolhouse astatine the clip of the onslaught connected Friday (November 21, 2025).
The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora said successful a connection that a information staffer was “badly shot” during the attack.
The abductions took spot days aft gunmen, connected Monday (November 17, 2025), attacked a precocious schoolhouse and abducted 25 schoolgirls successful the neighbouring Kebbi State, successful Maga, astir 170 km from Papiri. One the girls aboriginal escaped and is safe, the school's main said.
In a abstracted onslaught connected Monday (November 17, 2025) successful Kwara State, which borders Niger State, equipped men attacked a church, sidesplitting 2 people. During the attack, 38 worshippers were besides abducted, Femi Agbabiaka, caput of the Christ Apostolic Church, told The Associated Press connected Friday (November 21, 2025).
He said the equipped men are demanding a ransom of 100 cardinal naira ($69,000), for each of the abductees.
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu postponed his travel to this weekend's Group of 20 (G20) acme successful South Africa successful airy of Monday's abductions and the onslaught connected the church.
“We volition usage each instrumentality of the authorities to bring these girls location and to guarantee that the perpetrators of this wickedness look the afloat value of justice,” Nigeria's Vice-President Kashim Shettima said during a sojourn to Kebbi State connected Wednesday (November 19, 2025).
No radical has claimed work for the attacks successful Niger and Kebbi State, but analysts and locals accidental gangs often people schools, travellers and distant villagers successful kidnappings for ransom.
Authorities accidental the gunmen are mostly erstwhile herders who person taken up arms against farming communities aft clashes betwixt them implicit strained resources.
Abductions person travel to specify the insecurity prevailing successful Africa's astir populous federation and the achy consequences.
At slightest 1,500 students person been abducted successful the portion since Boko Haram jihadi extremists seized 276 Chibok schoolgirls much than a decennary ago. But bandits are besides progressive successful the region, and analysts accidental gangs often people schools to summation attention.
Nigeria was precocious thrust into the spotlight aft US President Donald Trump singled the state out, stating that Christians are being persecuted — an allegation that the authorities rejected.
While Christians are among those targeted, analysts accidental the bulk of victims of equipped groups are Muslims successful Nigeria's Muslim-majority North, wherever astir attacks occur.
Analysts and residents blasted the insecurity connected a nonaccomplishment to prosecute known attackers and the rampant corruption that limits weapons supplies to information forces portion ensuring a dependable proviso to the gangs.
