November 21, 2025
By Ayinde Adeleke
Gunmen in the early hours of Thursday stormed St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in the Papiri community of Niger State, abducting a large number of students and staff in what appears to be another mass school kidnapping in the region.
According to local residents, the armed assailants arrived at the school on dozens of motorcycles and in several vehicles, gaining access to the compound before carrying out the attack. Community members said the operation was coordinated and lasted several minutes before the attackers fled with the victims.
Although the exact number of abducted individuals remains unclear, preliminary estimates from school staff and local officials suggest that more than 100 students and employees may have been taken. Authorities are still working to verify the figures.
Security agencies have since been deployed to the area, and a manhunt has been launched to track the assailants. Officials say efforts are underway to gather intelligence and establish the direction in which the kidnappers escaped.
The Niger State government confirmed the incident and stated that a press conference will be held in the coming hours to provide accurate numbers and further updates on the ongoing rescue efforts. Officials have urged residents to remain calm as security operations intensify.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and security sources say investigations are ongoing to identify those behind it. School kidnappings have occurred repeatedly in parts of northern Nigeria in recent years, prompting concerns about the safety of educational institutions and ongoing challenges facing the region’s security architecture.
