Nigerian President Bola Tinubu met with senior military officials at his Abuja residence on Sunday to discuss a recent wave of kidnappings targeting students and teachers across the country.
The Christian Association of Nigeria reported that armed assailants abducted 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers from St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in Niger State, north-central Nigeria. Earlier reports had cited 215 students. Following the meeting, Major General Waidi Shaib, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, confirmed that 50 children had escaped and were safely reunited with their families.
The crisis is not limited to schools. In Kwara State, 38 worshippers were kidnapped during an attack on Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku town on Tuesday, which also left two people dead. Major General Shaib confirmed that all 38 hostages have since been released and returned to their families.
These incidents follow a similar kidnapping in Kebbi State’s Maga town, where 25 schoolchildren were abducted just days earlier. No group has claimed responsibility for these attacks, which authorities are addressing through tactical squads and local community hunters.
School abductions have increasingly become a tactic for armed gangs in Nigeria, drawing attention and highlighting ongoing security challenges. UNICEF reported that only 37% of schools in ten conflict-affected states are equipped with early warning systems to detect potential threats.
While recent statements from international figures, including US President Donald Trump, have framed the violence as targeted against Christians, attacks in Nigeria affect communities across religious lines, impacting both Christian and Muslim populations.
