2025 Niger State school kidnapping

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2025 Niger State school kidnapping
Part of Persecution of Christians in Nigeria
Map
DateNovember 21, 2025 (2025-11-21)
Time~02:00 a.m. WAT (UTC+01:00)
Duration~3 hours
LocationPapiri, Niger State, Nigeria
Coordinates10°37′30″N 4°24′9″E / 10.62500°N 4.40250°E / 10.62500; 4.40250
TypeKidnapping, child abduction
TargetSt Mary's School
Missing265
Victims315
Returned50

On 21 November 2025, gunmen abducted 315 Nigerian Christians from St Mary's School in Papiri [Wikidata], Niger State, Nigeria. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.[1] The victims included 303 students and 12 teachers. Following the attack, all other schools in Niger State, as well as many in nearby states, closed indefinitely.[2] Fifty students later escaped and returned to their families.

Background

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St Mary's School is a Catholic secondary school in Papiri, on the northern edge of Kainji Lake, Nigeria.[1] It is located near a critical road linking the towns of Mokwa and Yelwa.[3] Prior to the kidnapping, the school enrolled 629 students.[2] Nigeria struggles with an abduction crisis; at least five mass kidnappings had occurred in schools since President Bola Tinubu took office in May 2023.[4] The region of Niger in which the attack occurred was suffering particularly from banditry in the period leading up to the abductions.[5]

The attack occurred amid a security crisis in Nigeria. That week, kidnappers attacked residences in Zamfara State, a Kebbi State school, and a Kwara State church, seizing dozens at each location.[6] Amid the worsening security situation, President Tinubu cancelled his trips to the G20 summit and the 7th European Union–African Union Summit.[6] The kidnapping coincided with deteriorating Nigeria–United States relations. Earlier, US president Donald Trump had threatened military intervention in Nigeria to protect Christians from religious persecution.[7]

Families in Papiri had requested security forces to protect their children long before the abduction, but reported no one came. One abducted student who later escaped reported that "Neither the police, nor the military nor the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps responded to our demands."[8]

Motives

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Niger State has been prone to banditry of cattle and kidnapping for ransom,[5] a lucrative business in Nigeria in recent years.[9][10][11] Because of this regional insecurity, experts suspected that the kidnapping was not religiously but rather monetarily motivated.[5][12] A regional security analyst added that the security vacuum allowed for the attack, citing that there was little evidence pointing towards Trump's comments themselves doing so.[3]

Attack

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The attack happened at night and took approximately three hours.[2][7] At approximately 2:00 a.m. WAT, dozens of armed gunmen arrived to the school premises on motorbikes, storming the school. Unarmed guards tasked with protecting the school recognized their inability to respond and promptly fled.[8]

Multiple witnesses recounted that armed gunmen, targeting the elementary dormitories, loaded children onto a large truck.[7] A different witness stated that fifty gunmen instead travelled on motorcycles, "herding" the children.[13]

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) counted 303 children and 12 teachers as kidnapped, revising earlier lower estimates. The CAN claimed that 88 had tried to escape, but were intercepted by kidnappers. This would make the kidnapping one of the largest in Nigerian history.[14] Niger State governor Mohammed Umar Bago contested the estimate, stating that there were far fewer abductees and that they would all be returned.[13]

Initial reports stated that kidnapped students were of both sexes and range in age from 10 to 18.[1][3] Nigerian police, however, claimed the school only educated students aged 12 to 17.[15] Later stories, however, reported some of the children as being nursery-school age.[16]

Aftermath

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The day after the kidnapping, on 22 November, Nigerian authorities stated that they had deployed local hunters and tactical squads to search for the abductees.[1][5]

Days later, a terrorist suspected to be linked with the kidnapping released a video speaking in Hausa. He claimed the terrorist group had already "kidnapped students in Kebbi and Niger State" and would be "kidnapping Nigerian military officers", politicians, and even President Tinubu, who they would take to their hideout.[17]

The Nigerian federal government closed 47 Federal Unity Colleges in reaction to the Niger State and Kebbi State kidnappings.[4][10] The Niger State government announced the closure of all schools in the state until 2026, commencing Christmas break early.[18] Human Rights Watch criticized the moves amid other early closures nationwide for stunting students' academic development, barring "access to education and the social and psychological support schools provide."[10]

Fifty students escaped on 23 November, leaving 265 people in captivity, including all 12 teachers.[5][19][20] The CAN confirmed this figure after reaching out to families of those abducted. They were returned to their families that day.[3] President Tinubu, however, reported that 51 children were "recovered".[20]

Responsibility

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Although praise was given for President Tinubu's economic reforms, criticisms were raised with growing insecurity nationwide, despite Tinubu's pledge to recruit, raise pay, and better equip soldiers and police officers.[8]

The Niger State government condemned the kidnapping, blaming the school for operating despite allegedly being told to close due to security threats. The CAN rejected this as blame-shifting and denied ever receiving such a warning.[1]

The affiliation of the terrorist which released the video was not stated or noticeable.[17]

Reactions and response

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Domestic

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To better organize ground efforts, President Tinubu ordered a 24-hour security cordon around forests in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger States.[21]

International

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Governments

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  • United States United States representative Riley Moore described the kidnapping as "heartbreaking" and wrote, "Enough is enough. We must do everything we can to defend our brothers and sisters in Christ."[7]
  • Holy See Pope Leo XIV expressed deep sorrow regarding the kidnappings at the end of the Angelus prayer, and made an appeal for the immediate release of the victims.[22]

Organizations

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  • The United Kingdom-based NASUWT teachers' union stood in solidarity with Nigerian teachers, students, and families. They reiterated the fundamental right of education, underscoring that schools should be "free from fear and violence." They called for "the immediate and safe release of all abducted children and staff, and for international pressure to ensure that schools are protected from future attacks."[23]
  • Human Rights Watch (HRW), in addressing both the kidnappings in Kebbi and Niger State, spoke to the "deliberate targeting of students, teachers, and schools in Nigeria's deteriorating security environment", which displays Nigeria's failure to "protect vulnerable communities." HRW argued that Nigeria failed to learn from previous attacks by not putting in early warning systems. HRW also urged Nigeria to prioritize both taking "concrete steps to protect education during conflict and insecurity", and advancing "a proposal to introduce legislation to implement the Safe Schools Declaration."[10]
  • Amnesty International criticised President Tinubu's security policies as having failed to prevent the kidnapping.[24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Number of children abducted in Nigerian school attack raised to more than 300". AP News. 22 November 2025. Archived from the original on 22 November 2025. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Security fears rise in Nigeria after more than 300 schoolchildren kidnapped". The Guardian. AFP. 22 November 2025. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Asadu, Chinedu (23 November 2025). "Pope calls on kidnappers in Nigeria to free 265 students and teachers after 50 pupils escape". AP News. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  4. ^ a b Orjinmo, Nduka (22 November 2025). "Nigeria Shuts Schools After Mass Seizure of Students Within Days". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 25 November 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e Shamim, Sarah. "Nigeria school kidnapping: Who's behind it, why were children targeted?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  6. ^ a b Dzirutwe, Macdonald; Ezeamalu, Ben (22 November 2025). "Explainer: What's behind Nigeria's latest school kidnappings, church attack?". Reuters. Archived from the original on 22 November 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d Chason, Rachel; Ombuor, Rael; Jamiu, Abiodon (22 November 2025). "Another school kidnapping rocks Nigeria as Trump threatens military force". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  8. ^ a b c Dzirutwe, Macdonald (26 November 2025). "Nigeria's mass school kidnapping exposes Tinubu's security struggles". Reuters. Archived from the original on 26 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  9. ^ Adeoye, Aanu (22 October 2025). "How kidnapping became a lucrative business in Nigeria". Financial Times. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  10. ^ a b c d "Nigeria: Renewed Spate of School Kidnappings". Human Rights Watch. 25 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  11. ^ "When crime becomes a business model: Why kidnapping thrives in Nigeria". BusinessDay. 21 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  12. ^ "Mass Kidnapping in Nigeria Demonstrates Growing Unrest". The Soufan Center. 25 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Niger state kidnap: Nigerian father felt helpless as he saw children taken from Catholic school in Papiri". BBC. 24 November 2025. Archived from the original on 24 November 2025. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  14. ^ Smith, Alex; Ewokor, Chris; Neysmith, Elettra (22 November 2025). "Nigeria sees one of worst mass abductions as 315 taken from school". BBC. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  15. ^ "Hundreds of children abducted from Nigerian Catholic school, days after similar crime". CBS News. 22 November 2025. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  16. ^ "Twenty-four schoolgirls released after northwestern Nigeria kidnapping". Al Jazeera. 25 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  17. ^ a b "'We Will Kidnap President Tinubu In Days Ahead' – Terrorist Commander Brags About Abductions In Kebbi, Niger". Sahara Reporters. 24 November 2025. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  18. ^ Asishana, Justina (22 November 2025). "Niger Gov directs closure of all schools until after New Year". The Nation Newspaper. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  19. ^ Brennan, Eve; Princewill, Nimi (23 November 2025). "Fifty students reunited with families after mass kidnapping in Nigeria but more than 250 still held". CNN. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  20. ^ a b Kagoe, Richard; Chibelushi, Wedaeli (24 November 2025). "Fifty children escape after mass school abduction in Nigeria". BBC. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  21. ^ Akinyemi, Demola; Agbakwuru, Johnbosco; Erunke, Joseph; Daniel, Abel; Aliyu, Haruna (26 November 2025). "Abductions: Tinubu orders 24-hour aerial surveillance on Kwara, Kebbi, Niger forest". Vanguard. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  22. ^ "Fifty schoolchildren escape kidnappers in Nigeria, more than 250 still captive". France 24. 23 November 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  23. ^ "Mass Kidnapping of Schoolchildren in Nigeria Sparks Global Outrage". NASUWT. 25 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  24. ^ Daniel, Falmata (21 November 2025). "Amnesty International condemns abduction in Niger State, criticises Tinubu's security measures". Premium Times. ISSN 2360-7688. Retrieved 23 November 2025.