Number of children abducted in Niger school attack rises to 300 as security fears deepen nationwide

CAN rejected the state government’s claim that the school reopened in defiance of a security directive

The number of children abducted on Friday from St Mary’s School in the Papiri area of Agwara Local Government in Niger State has risen to 303, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). Twelve teachers were also taken.

The Chairperson of the Niger State chapter of CAN, Bulus Yohanna, stated that the new figure resulted from a verification exercise and a final census conducted at the school.

“A total of 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were abducted,” he said in a statement on Saturday. He added that another 88 students who tried to flee during the attack were also taken. The victims are between 10 and 18 years old.

CAN officials visited the school on Friday. The facility remains deserted except for security personnel and a few community members who assisted in counting missing students.

Mr Yohanna said the organisation was concerned about misinformation around the incident.

He rejected the state government’s claim that the school reopened in defiance of a security directive. “We did not receive any circular. It must be an afterthought and a way to shift blame,” he said.

He urged families “to remain calm and prayerful.”

The attack in Papiri took place days after 25 schoolchildren were seized in Maga town in Kebbi State, about 170 kilometres from the Niger school.

No group has taken responsibility for either incident.

Security officials said tactical teams had been deployed with local hunters to track the attackers. Authorities in Agwara said on Friday that the abductions happened between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m.

The rise in the number of missing students has renewed concern about the safety of schools across Nigeria.

Last year, UNICEF reported that only 37 per cent of schools across 10 conflict-prone states had early warning systems to detect threats.

Armed groups continue to target schools because of the publicity such attacks generate. Both Christian and Muslim communities have been affected. The earlier kidnapping in Kebbi happened in a Muslim majority town.

Developments over the last two days suggest a broader national response. The federal government ordered the temporary closure of 47 unity schools on Thursday after receiving security advisories from defence and intelligence agencies.

Officials said the measure was taken to protect students while military and police units reassessed security gaps. The Ministry of Education stated that the closures were expected to remain in place until the environment was deemed safe.

In Abuja, senior security officials held emergency meetings following the Niger attack. The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who has been in the United States for talks with American defence officials, received briefings from home. Defence authorities said more personnel had been placed on standby across the north-central states.

The incidents have occurred during a renewed international focus on Nigeria’s security challenges. United States officials said they raised the issue of school safety during Mr Ribadu’s ongoing visit. In Nigeria, community leaders in Niger and Kebbi have continued to call for stronger early warning systems and faster deployments in rural areas where most of the recent attacks have occurred.

Search and rescue operations in Agwara and neighbouring communities continued on Saturday. Authorities said all available resources were being used to locate the children and teachers.