Gunmen in Nigeria kidnapped 303 students and teachers at a Catholic school in the northwest on Friday, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said, the latest in a spate of school attacks this week that has forced the government to shut 47 colleges.
Friday's incident in Niger state was the largest mass kidnapping of school children since the March 2024 abduction of more than 200 students in northern Kaduna state.
Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, the CAN chairman in Niger said he had travelled to the school. He said some students managed to escape, but gave no details.
Earlier, police and local government officials in Niger state confirmed the kidnapping from St. Mary's School, but they did not say how many.
Nigeria's security situation has been under heightened scrutiny since U.S. President Donald Trump threatened "fast" military action if the country fails to crack down on the killing of Christians.
In the first high-level meeting between the U.S. and Nigeria since Trump's threat, Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth wrote on X that he met Nigeria's national security advisor on Thursday to discuss the persecution of Christians.
Nigeria's government says Trump's claims that Christians face persecution in Nigeria are a misrepresentation.
Police said security agencies were on the scene of Friday's attack on the Catholic school, combing nearby forests to try to rescue those abducted.
The Niger state government said the school had ignored an instruction that boarding schools should be closed because of intelligence indicating a high chance of attacks.
Other attacks this week include the kidnapping on Monday of 25 schoolgirls from a boarding school in Kebbi state and an attack on a church in Kwara state, in which a church official told Reuters that 38 worshippers were taken by gunmen.
The church official said the gunmen had issued a ransom demand of 100 million naira (roughly $69,000) per worshipper.
Kebbi, Kwara and Niger states border one another.
This week's attacks prompted Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to cancel trips to South Africa and Angola, where he was due to attend a G20 summit and an African Union-European Union summit.
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini says cooperation with Azerbaijan is moving beyond formal diplomacy, with new opportunities emerging in energy, defen...
A woman whose husband was sucked out of the window of a plane during a Ryanair flight has recounted pulling her husband to safety. Serbian couple Svet...
Keir Starmer has reaffirmed that the UK's "unwavering" support for Ukraine will continue, during his final visit to the country as Prime Minister....
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini says cooperation with Azerbaijan is moving beyond formal diplomacy, with new opportunities emerging in energy, defence, cybersecurity, trade and education.
Uzbekistan will establish an intermodal logistics centre in Belarus before the end of 2026 and launch more than $100 million worth of new regional investment projects as the two countries accelerate implementation of their newly established strategic partnership.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. The operation targeted command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance sites across multiple locations.
Peace. Prosperity. New political forces. A technology-driven economy. Following Armenia’s parliamentary election, AnewZ took to the streets of Yerevan to ask people how they imagine their country five years from now.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. The operation targeted command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance sites across multiple locations.
The death toll from the fire at a live music pub in Bangkok has climbed to 32 after two more victims died from their injuries, according to Thailand's Police Hospital.
Ukraine and Russia exchanged fresh attacks on Tuesday, with Kyiv targeting shipping and energy infrastructure inside Russia while Moscow launched another large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukrainian cities.
Keir Starmer has reaffirmed that the UK's "unwavering" support for Ukraine will continue, during his final visit to the country as Prime Minister.
Two British hackers who carried out a cyberattack on Transport for London (TfL) that cost the transport authority £29 million to remediate have been jailed for a total of 11 years.
At least 11 people have been killed and 19 injured in a fire at an orphanage on the outskirts of the Algerian capital, state media reported. The blaze broke out early on Thursday at the institution in the eastern suburbs of Algiers.
A woman whose husband was sucked out of the window of a plane during a Ryanair flight has recounted pulling her husband to safety. Serbian couple Svetlana Maksimovic and Ljubisa Karovic had just settled into a flight with the airline last week, when a loud bang pierced the hum of engines.
Russia launched a fresh wave of missile strikes on Ukraine early on Thursday, saying it had hit military and industrial facilities in Kyiv, as well as key port infrastructure in the southern Odesa region.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment