An interior view of the Christ Apostolic Church, the day after an attack by gunmen in which people were killed and the pastor and some worshippers kidnapped, in the town of Eruku, Kwara state, Nigeria, November 19, 2025.
MAIDUGURI (Nigeria), Nov 22 — Gunmen in Nigeria kidnapped at least 227 students and teachers at a Catholic school in the northwest yesterday, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said, the latest in a spate of school attacks this week that has forced the government to shut 47 colleges.
Friday’s incident in Niger state was the largest mass kidnapping of school children since the March 2024 abduction of more than 200 students in northern Kaduna state.
Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, the CAN chairman in Niger said he had travelled to the school. He said some students managed to escape, but gave no details.
“From our record, 215 pupils and students including 12 teachers were abducted by the terrorists,” Yohanna said in a statement.
Earlier, police and local government officials in Niger state confirmed the kidnapping from St. Mary’s School, but they did not say how many. Nigeria’s security situation has been under heightened scrutiny since US President Donald Trump threatened “fast” military action if the country fails to crack down on the killing of Christians.
In the first high-level meeting between the US and Nigeria since Trump’s threat, Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth wrote on X that he met Nigeria’s national security advisor on Thursday to discuss the persecution of Christians.
Nigeria’s government says Trump’s claims that Christians face persecution in Nigeria are a misrepresentation.
