Over 300 Children Abducted in Niger State as Families Blame Security Failures
In Papiri, northern Nigeria, grieving parents say the mass abduction of more than 300 schoolchildren and teachers could have been prevented. For months, families and local leaders had pleaded with authorities to deploy security personnel to the St. Mary’s Catholic School complex, warning that armed groups were active around Niger State. But when gunmen stormed the school last week, no police or military units were present, parents told reporters.
The attack unfolded rapidly as dozens of armed men on motorcycles entered the school grounds early in the morning, overwhelming the unarmed volunteer guards the community relied on in the absence of state protection. According to the Christian Association of Nigeria, roughly 303 pupils and 12 staff members were taken, making it one of the largest school kidnappings in the country’s recent history. Fifty students later escaped and were reunited with their families, but the majority remain missing.
Parents say their frustration is not only with the attack, but with what they describe as a pattern of government inaction. Residents told Reuters they had repeatedly informed local officials about bandit movements in the area. Yet security forces, already stretched thin across several northern states, did not deploy to protect the school. “We begged them,” one father said. “When the day came, no one came.”
Officials in Abuja have not publicly addressed the claims that warnings were ignored, but the government has acknowledged the gravity of the incident. The mass kidnapping has renewed pressure on President Bola Tinubu, whose administration has been struggling to contain widespread banditry across northern Nigeria. Analysts say the attack highlights persistent gaps in intelligence-sharing, rural security coverage, and the government’s ability to protect vulnerable communities.
Authorities have launched a search-and-rescue operation involving military units and local vigilante groups. But families in Papiri say they are tired of promises. Many now sleep in makeshift camps near the school grounds, waiting for news, and wondering why the security they begged for only arrived after their children were taken.
