Maiduguri, Nigeria – Gunmen abducted students from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State, Nigeria, during an early morning attack on Friday, November 21. Police and local government officials confirmed the abduction, though they did not specify the exact number of students taken. However, Arise News reported that 52 students were kidnapped.
The attack comes amid rising tensions surrounding Nigeria’s security situation. Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened military action against the country if it failed to address the growing violence and persecution of Christians. The Nigerian government has rejected these claims, arguing that the situation has been misrepresented.
In response to the attack, security agencies have launched efforts to locate the kidnapped students, focusing on nearby forests. The Niger state government also revealed that the school had ignored a directive to close boarding schools following intelligence warnings of possible attacks.
This attack follows several others in the region this week, including the kidnapping of 25 schoolgirls from a boarding school in Kebbi State and the abduction of 38 worshippers from a church in Kwara State. In the church attack, gunmen demanded a ransom of 100 million naira (approximately $69,000) per person.
The spate of violence prompted Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to cancel planned foreign trips to attend the G20 summit in South Africa and the African Union-European Union summit in Angola. Tinubu has also sent a delegation, led by the national security adviser, to the United States to engage with lawmakers and government officials over the escalating crisis.
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