Gunmen kidnapped 303 children and 12 teachers from St. Mary’s School in Nigeria, marking a grim escalation in the country’s ongoing violence against Christian institutions. The attack, which took place at a Catholic school, has drawn international condemnation and raised urgent concerns about the safety of religious and educational facilities. Initial reports indicated fewer victims, but the final count was confirmed to be 303 students aged 10 to 18, with a verification process conducted by local authorities to ensure accuracy.
Most. Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Niger state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), emphasized the gravity of the situation in a statement. He confirmed the number of kidnapped children following a census and visited the school to assess the damage. The Associated Press reported that the students who were abducted included both males and females, a detail that underscores the broad impact of the attack. The school’s reopening has also been called into question, with the head of the institution denying the government’s claim that the institution had resumed operations despite known threats.
The incident is part of a broader pattern of violence against Christians in Nigeria, which has led the United States to label the nation a