In this photo released by Christian Association of Nigeria, a man walk past belongings at the St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School after gunmen abducted children and staff in Papiri community (Image credits: AP)
More than 300 students are confirmed missing after armed men attacked a Catholic school in northern Nigeria on Friday, the latest in a series of mass abductions in Africa’s most populous nation. Gunmen who attacked St Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger state, kidnapped 303 students and 12 teachers, the Christian Association of Nigeria said on Saturday. The figures were revised upwards “after a verification exercise” to determine the extent of Friday’s attack, CAN said.It ranks as one of the worst abductions in the country and increases public scrutiny on President Bola Tinubu, who critics say has been insipid in his approach to dealing with such incidents since taking office two-and-a-half years ago. Authorities shut dozens of schools across the country on Friday. Students in 47 boarding schools owned by the federal govt were asked to vacate, according to a circular from the ministry of education. Twenty-four students remain missing after being abducted from a school in Kebbi state on Monday.Nigeria’s security has drawn criticism from American President Donald Trump, who has periodically claimed that Christians are being persecuted in the country. On Friday, secretary of defence Pete Hegseth met Nigeria’s National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu to reiterate the administration’s assertion that Christians in the West African country have been singled out for “horrific violence.”
(This is a Bloomberg story)
