THIS DAWN — There is palpable anxiety at Papiri community in Niger State, after terrorists stormed St. Mary’s Catholic Secondary School in Papiri, Niger State, in the early hours of Friday and abducted several students.
Nigeria was hit by yet another devastating wave of school kidnappings after several students were abducted in a brazen assault.
The assault deepened national anxiety over the country’s worsening security crisis.
The attack, which occurred between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on November 21, saw the school totally deserted when newsmen arrived.
It comes just days after 25 schoolgirls were kidnapped from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State.
The incident triggered a nationwide outcry and forced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to dispatch the Minister of State for Defence to the troubled region.
According to local sources, heavily armed terrorists invaded Papiri under the cover of darkness
The terrorists overwhelmed available security personnel before seizing an unspecified number of students from the Catholic-owned boarding school.
Authorities confirm incident
Mohammed Inuwa, a senior legislative aide to Rt. Hon. Jafar Muhammad Ali (Shattiman Borgu), also confirmed the incident.
Inuwa said that security agencies had been notified, saying: “It happened around 3 to 4 a.m.
“The number of students abducted is not yet confirmed. The police command of the local government is informed,” he told reporters.
Parents and residents reportedly rushed to the school at daybreak, frantically searching for answers amid conflicting reports and widespread panic.
School authorities have yet to issue an official statement, and many families remain unsure whether their children were among those taken.
Efforts to reach the Niger State Police Command yielded little clarity.
Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun initially said he needed time to verify the situation and did not provide further updates.
A source said: “The Friday morning attack in Papiri, Niger State, hit the boarding facility.
“Witnesses reported dozens of victims taken amid unconfirmed numbers exceeding 100 from primary and secondary sections.
“A security guard was injured, but no deaths occurred.
“Police and military have launched forest searches, while probing the school’s violation of a no-boarding order amid bandit threats.
“This follows a similar raid on 25 girls in neighboring Kebbi State earlier this week, highlighting ongoing school attacks by armed groups in northwest Nigeria’s forests.”
A disturbing pattern of coordinated attacks
The Papiri abduction marks the second major school kidnapping within a week and highlights a disturbing resurgence of coordinated attacks on educational institutions in northern Nigeria.
It echoes the horrors of Chibok (2014), Dapchi (2018), and the mass abductions in Zamfara and Kaduna in recent years.
Security analysts warn that the proximity of these incidents suggests renewed capacity and confidence among terrorist factions operating across the region.
President Tinubu, who is still facing intense pressure over the missing Kebbi schoolgirls, has yet to issue a statement on the Niger State attack.
However, senior security officials say the administration is “on high alert” as efforts intensify to track the kidnappers and rescue the victims.
With two major school abductions in under a week, Nigeria’s education sector is once again in crisis.
Parents across the northern region fear the worst may not be over.
