In the early hours of Friday, gunmen abducted students from a Catholic school in Nigeria’s Niger state, marking the latest in a series of violent attacks targeting educational institutions and religious communities.

The abduction comes amid heightened international scrutiny of Nigeria’s security situation.

Local authorities confirmed the attack at St. Mary’s School, though the exact number of students taken was initially unclear. Nigerian TV station Arise News reported that 52 students were kidnapped during the raid.

Police and security agencies have mobilized, combing nearby forests in an effort to rescue the abducted students. Officials said the school had ignored prior instructions to close boarding schools due to intelligence warning of potential attacks.

Context: Rising attacks across region

This incident follows several recent attacks on schools and religious institutions:

Monday: 25 schoolgirls were kidnapped from a boarding school in Kebbi state.
Earlier this week: Gunmen attacked a church in Kwara state, abducting 38 worshippers and demanding a ransom of 100 million naira (approximately $69,000) per person.

Niger, Kebbi, and Kwara states share borders, making security coordination critical as criminal networks exploit the region’s vulnerabilities.

International spotlight

The heightened insecurity comes after U.S. President Donald Trump warned of potential military action if Nigeria fails to address the killings and persecution of Christians. The Nigerian government, however, maintains that Trump’s claims misrepresent the situation.

In response to the recent attacks, President Bola Tinubu canceled foreign trips to South Africa and Angola, where he was scheduled to attend the G20 and African Union-European Union summits. He also dispatched a delegation, led by Nigeria’s national security adviser, to meet U.S. officials and lawmakers.

Authorities continue to search for the abducted students while emphasizing the need for increased vigilance in boarding schools and religious institutions. The attacks underscore ongoing challenges in securing Nigeria’s northern states against armed groups and kidnappers.