In a harrowing escalation of violence against educational institutions in Nigeria, gunmen stormed St. Mary’s Catholic School in the Papiri community of Niger state on November 21, 2025, abducting more than 300 schoolchildren and 12 teachers. The attack, which unfolded in the early hours, has sent shockwaves through the nation and reignited global concern over the country’s persistent security crisis.
The kidnapping, initially reported as involving 215 children, was later revised upward following a verification exercise and a final census, according to the Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Niger state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). Some of those taken were as young as 10 years old, and at least 80 children were reportedly recaptured after attempting to flee their captors. The attackers also seized 12 teachers, compounding the tragedy for the already traumatized community.
As reported by the Associated Press, the school compound—serving both primary and secondary students—comprises more than 50 classrooms and dormitory buildings. It sits near a major road connecting Yelwa and Mokwa, making it an accessible target for the armed group. The sheer scale of the abduction is reminiscent of the infamous Chibok schoolgirls’ kidnapping by Boko Haram more than a decade ago, which thrust Nigeria’s security woes into the international spotlight.
Eyewitnesses described a scene of chaos and heartbreak. Dauda Chekula, a local resident, lamented that four of his grandchildren, aged between 7 and 10, were among those taken. “We don’t know what is happening now, because we have not heard anything since this morning,” Chekula told the press. “The children who were able to escape have scattered, some of them ran back to their houses and the only information we are getting is that the attackers are still moving with the remaining children into the bush.”
The attack occurred despite prior intelligence warnings of heightened threats in the area. A statement from the secretary to the Niger state government noted that St. Mary’s School reopened and resumed academic activities without notifying or seeking clearance from authorities, thereby exposing students and staff to avoidable risk. At the time of the attack, only local security arrangements were in place; there were no official police or government forces stationed at the school. The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora confirmed that a security staffer was severely wounded during the assault.
Authorities have since launched a massive search operation, with military, police, and local hunters combing the forests in a desperate bid to rescue the abducted children and teachers. In a drastic response to the worsening insecurity, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Education ordered the immediate closure of 47 federal unity colleges, mostly in the conflict-battered northern states. These elite government schools, which draw students from across the country, are seen as particularly vulnerable to attacks.
The St. Mary’s abduction is only the latest in a spate of mass kidnappings that have plagued Nigeria in recent years. Just days earlier, on November 17, gunmen abducted 25 schoolgirls from a high school in neighboring Kebbi state. One of the girls managed to escape and is now safe, but the fate of the others remains uncertain. On the same day in Kwara state, attackers stormed a church, killing two people and abducting 38 worshippers. The kidnappers have demanded a ransom of 100 million naira (about $69,000) for each person taken, according to Femi Agbabiaka, secretary of the Christ Apostolic Church.
The relentless wave of kidnappings prompted Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to cancel his planned trip to the Group of 20 summit in South Africa, underscoring the gravity of the crisis. Vice President Kashim Shettima, who visited Kebbi state on November 19, pledged, “We will use every instrument of the state to bring these girls home and to ensure that the perpetrators of this wickedness face the full weight of justice.”
While no group has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, analysts and local authorities suspect that the perpetrators are former herders who have taken up arms, targeting schools and villages for ransom in a country beset by resource conflicts and economic hardship. The line between ideological terrorists and criminal bandits has grown increasingly blurred, with both exploiting the government’s inability to secure rural areas.
The scale of the crisis is staggering. According to Congressman Riley Moore, citing data from Open Doors, between 50,000 and 100,000 Christians have been killed and more than 19,000 churches attacked or destroyed in Nigeria since 2009. Moore stated, “More Christians are killed every year in Nigeria than the rest of the world combined.” In 2025 alone, over 7,000 Christians have been martyred—an average of 35 every day. These grim statistics highlight why, three weeks before the St. Mary’s attack, former U.S. President Donald Trump declared Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), calling attention to the ongoing murder of Christians by radical Islamist groups.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on October 31. “Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.” Trump’s statement continued, “Something must be done to stop the continued killings. The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!”
The kidnappings coincided with a diplomatic visit by Nigerian National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu to the United States, where he met with Defense of War Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hegseth posted on X that “under [Trump’s] leadership, DOW is working aggressively with Nigeria to end the persecution of Christians by jihadist terrorists.” The U.S. government’s designation of Nigeria as a CPC in 2020 was seen as a critical step in holding the Nigerian government accountable for religious freedom violations, though the designation was later removed by President Joe Biden in 2021.
Within Nigeria, the crisis has left families shattered and communities gripped by fear and anger. Eze Gloria Chidinma, a Lagos-based influencer, recounted how her sister managed to escape the school by jumping a fence during the attack. “My mother and my older brother were kidnapped last year. We called security, we called the police, and they just said there is nothing they can do,” Chidinma told the Associated Press, explaining that her family had to pay a huge ransom for their release. “My message to the authorities right now is to think about the people. Your job is to protect lives and properties. People’s lives should matter to you.”
Yohanna Buru, pastor and head of the Peace Revival and Reconciliation Foundation, called for increased security around schools, warning, “If the government was doing enough, then rampant kidnappings all over the country would not have happened. It’s as if they don’t care about the future of our children.”
As the search for the abducted children and teachers continues, Nigeria faces a daunting test of its resolve to protect its most vulnerable citizens and restore faith in its institutions. The world, meanwhile, watches anxiously, hoping for news of their safe return.