Armed men abduct students at Catholic school in Agwara, Niger State
Armed men abduct students at Catholic school in Agwara, Niger State
Armed attackers abducted students and staff at St. Mary's School in Agwara, triggering security deployments as Nigeria reels from another mass school abduction.
Armed attackers struck early Friday at St. Mary's School, a Catholic boarding school in Agwara’s Papiri community, abducting a number of students and staff. The incident marks the latest in a wave of school abductions roiling Nigeria's education sector.
The school sits near a major road linking the towns of Yelwa and Mokwa and is described as a secondary facility with dormitories and more than 50 classrooms. Officials have not released a final count of those taken, but various local outlets have mentioned figures ranging from dozens to over 50. Security forces, including the military, have since been deployed to the area as operations to locate and rescue those abducted continue.
A local security staffer was reported to have been badly shot during the attack, and residents say there were limited security arrangements in place at the time. The Niger State government secretary, Abubakar Usman, noted that the school had reopened without clearance from the state government, exposing pupils and staff to avoidable risk and signaling a broader review of school security.
The abduction comes just days after another mass incident in a neighboring state, where 25 schoolgirls were abducted in separate attacks, underscoring persistent threats to education and safety in the region. Officials have pledged to intensify searches and bolster protections for schools as investigations continue.
Cover image source: At Least 52 Kidnapped From Nigeria School in Second Mass Abduction This Week 🔗
