More than 200 children were kidnapped by armed men who attacked a catholic school in north-central Nigeria, also taking 12 teachers, said the Christian Association of Nigeria.
The armed men who invaded the Santa Maria School, in the community of Papiri, municipality of Agwara, kidnapped 215 students and 12 teachersaccording to Daniel Atori, spokesperson for the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) chapter in Niger State.
“I have just returned to the village this evening after visiting the school, where I also met with the children’s parents to assure them that we are working with the Government and security agencies to ensure our children are rescued and brought back safely“, stressed Atori in a statement cited by the Associated Press (AP).
Nigeria, the most populous country in Africais plagued by insecurity and mass abductions are common, particularly since the abduction of almost 300 girls in Chibok, in the northeast, perpetrated in 2014 by Boko Haram ‘jihadists’.
“The Government of Niger State (Nigeria) welcomed profound sadness at the disturbing news of the abduction of students from Santa Maria Schoolin Agwara Local Government Area,” Abubakar Usman, Secretary to the State Government, announced.
Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu
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The Diocese of Kontagora, located in Niger State, said in a press release that armed men invaded the school between one and three in the morning, kidnapping students, teachers and a security guardwho was killed.
As a precautionary measure, the state government ordered the temporary closure of all boarding schools in the regionsegundo Usman.
The police announced today that they had sent tactical and military units to the region, which are carrying out searches in the forests.
This attack occurs a few days after the kidnapping of 25 students by armed men from the Maga girls’ boarding schoolin Kebbi State (northwest), on Sunday night. According to authorities, one of the girls managed to escape.
The students were reportedly taken to the Birnin Gwari forest in Kaduna State, east of Kebbi, a stronghold of several criminal gangs non-affiliated ‘jihadist’ group Ansaru.
For now, the identity of the kidnappers— jihadist groups or criminal gangs — remains unknown.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu canceled your international trips today and placed the country’s security forces on high alert.
Nigeria will be represented at the G20 summit in South Africa by its vice-president, Kashim Shettima.
The two kidnappings, as well as the attack on a church on Tuesday in Eruku (western Nigeria), occur at a time when the US President Donald Trump threatens to intervene militarily in Nigeria due to allegations that the country’s Christians are being persecuted.
This rhetoric is being propagated in Washington by conservative politicians and advocacy groups of Christian rights.
Abuja denies the accusations, but claims to be in negotiations with the US Government over the security cooperation and specifies that the attacks affect Nigerians regardless of their religion.
The attack on the Eruku church during a cult broadcast live left two deadaccording to local authorities.
According to the church secretary, Michael Agbabiaka, the attackers they also kidnapped “35 people”a number that the police did not confirm.
Nigeria is divided between a predominantly Muslim north and a predominantly Christian south.
Criminal gangs, called “bandits” by the local population, have been terrorizing the northwest and central regions of the country for years, attacking and kidnapping residents for ransoms and burning down houses after looting them.
Nigeria also faces a jihadist insurgency for over 16 yearswhich resulted in 40,000 deaths and more than two million people displaced in the north of the country, according to the United Nations.