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Nigeria accused of inaction after 250+ children abducted from Catholic school
Nigerian authorities face mounting criticism for their response to the abduction of over 250 children from a Catholic boarding school in central Niger state last Friday, with the region's top Catholic bishop alleging "no meaningful effort" to rescue them. Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, who leads the Catholic Church in the area, told the BBC that officials had only collected the students' names, while local police disputed the claim, accusing the school of non-cooperation.
Conflicting accounts over rescue operations
Bishop Yohanna, who also chairs the Niger chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), denied state governor Umar Bago's assertion that the school had ignored warnings to close due to attack threats. "We did not receive any order at any point," he stated. Meanwhile, Niger state police chief Adamu Abdullahi Elleman defended the deployment of security forces, despite BBC reporters observing only three unarmed officers near the school in Papiri village and a single checkpoint along a 60 km (37 mi) route from Yauri, a key access road.
Elleman claimed a tactical police team and other security personnel were stationed in the community, operating from a base in nearby Agwara town. "They must have moved back to headquarters when you arrived," he told the BBC. Nigeria's national police chief, Kayode Egbetokun, later issued a statement pledging intensified operations, including intelligence efforts, to secure the release of the remaining 253 students and 12 staff members-50 of whom have already escaped.
Wave of abductions sparks national crisis
The attack on St. Mary's school marks the third mass abduction in Nigeria within a week. On Monday, over 20 Muslim schoolgirls were kidnapped from a boarding school in neighboring Kebbi state. Separately, a church in southern Kwara state was raided, leaving two dead and dozens of worshippers abducted. President Bola Tinubu, who canceled his trip to the G20 summit in South Africa to address the crisis, announced Sunday that all 38 Kwara hostages had been rescued. "Every Nigerian has the right to safety," he declared in a social media post, vowing to "secure this nation."
The surge in violence has prompted widespread school closures, with parents rushing to retrieve their children. Authorities in Lagos, Nigeria's most populous state, reported heightened security at schools, places of worship, and government buildings. While no group has claimed responsibility for the Papiri abduction, criminal gangs and militant Islamist organizations-including jihadist factions active in northeastern Borno state-have long targeted civilians for ransom and ideological attacks.
US warns of intervention amid religious violence claims
US President Donald Trump threatened military action if Nigeria fails to curb "the killing of Christians," a statement that followed talks between US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Nigeria's National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. The US Department of War emphasized discussions on "tangible progress" against anti-Christian violence and West African jihadist groups. Nigerian officials, however, dismissed allegations of state-sanctioned religious persecution, attributing the security crisis to criminality, extremism, and land disputes. Both governments agreed to form a working group to bolster defense cooperation.
"I'm not aware of any effort made by government beyond collecting the names of the students from us."
Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, Chairman, Niger Chapter of CAN
Broader insecurity plagues Africa's most populous nation
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with a near-equal Christian and Muslim population, has grappled with escalating insecurity. Last week, the government confirmed a senior army general was killed in a jihadist ambush in Borno state, a stronghold of militant groups like Boko Haram. While authorities insist victims span all faiths, religious leaders and international observers warn of targeted violence. The repeated school attacks-often linked to ransom demands-have exacerbated fears, with CAN and other groups urging stronger protections for educational institutions.
