More than 300 schoolchildren are believed to have been abducted from a Catholic school in Nigeria on Friday, one of the worst mass kidnappings ever recorded in the country.
Armed men reportedly attacked the Catholic school of St. Mary’s in Niger state, and abducted 303 pupils and 12 teachers, both males and females of varying ages, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), an umbrella group of Christian organizations in the country.
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The attack capped a week of similar kidnappings across Nigeria that targeted both Christians and Muslims, some of which appeared to be financially motivated. On Monday, 25 Muslim school girls were kidnapped from a school in Kebbi in an armed attack that resulted in the death of the school’s Vice Principal, and another 64 people were abducted from their homes in Zamfara state, which borders Kebbi, local media reported.
The next day, a live stream captured a gunman attacking a Christ Apostolic Church in Oke Isegun in the Kwara State, leaving two dead and over 30 people abducted and missing. One church official told Reuters that the kidnappers had demanded around $69,000 in ransom per person.
Read More: How to Actually Stop the Violence in Nigeria
The attacks come just weeks after President Donald Trump warned he would send the U.S. military “guns-a-blazing” to Nigeria over reports of attacks on Christians in the West African nation.
The latest attacks on Christians are likely to pile more pressure on Nigeria’s government and raise the possibility of the Trump Administration taking more direct action in the country.
If confirmed, the Niger attack would exceed the mass abduction of 276 schoolgirls by the Islamist terror group Boko Haram in 2014, which drew global outrage and an international campaign to free them.
But experts say the motivations behind the spate of abductions are complex and not necessarily driven by religious motivations. A report by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies released last year noted a dramatic increase in abductions by “criminal gangs,” known locally as “bandits.” The report noted a shift by these groups towards mass abductions because they “increase the possibility of government ransom payments, which are more substantial than what can be cobbled together by individual ransoms.”
Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, the CAN chairman in Niger in the north of the country, said his organization was “working with the government and security agencies to see that our children are rescued and brought back safely,” in a statement, according to Reuters.
‘It took everybody by surprise’
One woman, Dominic Adamu, whose daughters attend the school but were not abducted, told the BBC that “Everybody is weak… it took everybody by surprise.” Another woman whose nieces, ages six and 13, were taken, told the outlet. “I just want them to come home.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, but as authorities are deployed in the area in an attempt to find and rescue those kidnapped, Friday’s mass abduction is an example of a larger issue of kidnapping by extremists in the area—and it is the third such attack in the country in a week.
Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu cancelled his attendance at the G20 summit in South Africa following the abductions.
Speaking after the Monday attacks, but before the Niger abductions, Tinubu said he was “fully apprised of the recent uptick in violent extremism in pockets across the country, and I have directed our security agencies to respond with urgency, clarity, and decisive action.”
“I am also depressed that heartless terrorists have disrupted the education of innocent schoolgirls. I have directed the security agencies to act swiftly and bring the girls back to Kebbi State,” he said on X.
“Our forces need the full cooperation of every community. Sharing information can save lives and protect our children,” he added.
Niger Gov. Umaru Bago told reporters Saturday that all schools in the Niger state have been shut down after meeting with security officials in Minna.
“It is the decision of stakeholders today to close all schools in Niger state,” Bago said. “All schools in Niger are closed till further notice. So we have declared Christmas holiday for all primary and secondary schools in Niger state.”
‘A country of particular concern’
On Nov. 2, Trump told his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to prepare for “possible action” in Nigeria if violence against Christians continued.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump posted on his Truth Social account, calling on the Nigerian government to “act fast.”
The Trump Administration designated Nigeria as “a country of particular concern,” as Trump said that “Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.” Meanwhile, Nigeria’s President responded to Trump’s statements on X, saying it “does not reflect our national reality.”
While it is documented that Nigeria has been dealing with insurgencies from jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State, statistics from the Council of Foreign Relations affirm that more Muslims than Christians have been victims of violence “despite Boko Haram’s murderous hostility to Christians.”
Still, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has maintained that the country—which is split relatively evenly between Muslims and Christians—that violence affects both populations in “large numbers.”
Popular U.S. rapper Nicki Minaj has emerged as a strong voice in support of Trump’s attention towards the plight of Christians in Nigeria. The rapper spoke at a special U.N. event titled “Combating Christian Violence and the Killing of Christians in Nigeria” this week.
“Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart… simply because of how they pray,” Minaj said in her speech on Tuesday.
The attack on St. Mary’s School happened as Nigerian officials, including Nigerian National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, were meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau this week in the United States.
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