More than 300 children and staff are now thought to have been kidnapped by gunmen from a Catholic school in central Nigeria, making it one of the worst mass abductions the country has seen.
The Christian Association of Nigeria said 303 students and 12 teachers were taken from St Mary's School in Papiri, Niger state—substantially more than previously estimated. The figures have been revised upwards after a verification exercise.
The kidnapping comes amid a surge of attacks by armed groups. The revised number of people taken surpasses the 276 abducted during the infamous Chibok mass abduction of 2014.
Local police reported that armed men stormed the school around 02:00 local time on Friday morning, abducting students who were staying there.
Dominic Adamu, whose daughters attend the school but were not taken, told the BBC: Everybody is weak... it took everybody by surprise. One distressed woman tearfully recounted how her nieces, aged six and 13, had been kidnapped, saying: I just want them to come home. Police stated that security agencies were combing the forests with a view to rescue the abducted students.
Initially reported figures indicated that 215 pupils were taken, but that number has been updated to reflect nearly half of the school's student population.
Authorities in Niger state have criticized the school for rejecting an order to close boarding facilities amid intelligence warnings of heightened risk of attacks.
The problem of kidnapping for ransom by what are locally referred to as bandits has escalated in various areas of Nigeria. The government has outlawed ransom payments, an effort that has yielded little impact on the activities of criminal gangs.
This mass abduction marks the third major attack in Nigeria within a week. In a separate incident, over 20 schoolgirls were kidnapped from a boarding school in Kebbi state, and another church was attacked in Kwara state, resulting in two deaths and 38 abductions.
In response to rising security concerns, President Bola Tinubu has postponed foreign travels and ordered the closure of more than 40 federal colleges, as public schools in some states face shutdowns.
Nigerians are calling for a stronger government response to ensure the safety of children and communities amidst growing anxiety and anger over the situation.
The abduction has revived debates around claims made by right-wing figures, including Donald Trump, suggesting persecution of Christians in Nigeria—claims that the Nigerian government has rejected as gross misrepresentations.
