215 Pupils, 12 Teachers Abducted From St. Mary School in Niger State — CAN

Nigeria was thrust into another moment of national heartbreak on Friday after the Niger State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) confirmed that 227 people—including 215 pupils and 12 teachers—were abducted in a brazen midnight raid on St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area. The attack, carried out between 2am and 3am, has plunged the quiet Catholic mission school into a tragedy too heavy even for words, and reopened the wounds of a country still haunted by years of school kidnappings.

In the hours immediately following the attack, confusion clouded every corner of Papiri. Parents ran through the school compound screaming the names of their children. Teachers were seen trembling with shock, unable to explain how the heavily armed bandits stormed the premises with such precision and overwhelming force. For much of Friday morning, no one could say exactly how many children had been dragged into the night. Some families believed their children were safe, only to learn hours later that they were missing. Others fainted on the spot when lists of abductees began circulating.

By Friday evening, CAN provided the heartbreaking clarity everyone feared. Through a statement issued by Daniel Atori, media aide to the state CAN chairman, the association confirmed that “227 persons in total were taken—215 pupils and 12 teachers.” The figure sent shockwaves across the nation, marking one of the largest school mass abductions since the horrors of Chibok, Kankara, Kuriga, and Dapchi.

Survivors say the armed men arrived on dozens of motorcycles in tightly coordinated units. They surrounded the school from multiple entry points, firing into the air to force villagers indoors. Witnesses reported that the children were dragged from their dormitories and classrooms, some barefoot, some crying, others too stunned to understand what was happening. Teachers who attempted to shield the pupils were overpowered, beaten, and forced along with the children into the bush paths that snaked into the forests bordering Niger, Kebbi, and parts of Benin Republic.

For many residents of Papiri, the school had been the community’s only beacon of hope—an institution where poor families dreamed their children might escape the cycle of poverty and fear. Now, those same dreams have turned into a national nightmare. Many fathers stood in silence on Friday, staring into the empty fields as if expecting their children to reappear. Mothers wailed uncontrollably, some collapsing as neighbors tried to lift them. The emotional devastation is total. It is raw. And it is repeating a story Nigerians have lived far too many times.

Security analysts are already pointing out how the attack mirrors the pattern of earlier mass kidnappings—poor security presence, late reinforcements, underprotected schools, and bandits exploiting forest corridors that stretch across multiple states. Despite repeated assurances from the federal government about improved security operations, rural schools remain vulnerable targets. And bandit groups, emboldened by years of successful kidnappings and ransom payments, continue to refine their tactics.

Authorities say that communication lines went dead shortly after the attack, and local vigilantes who pursued the kidnappers were quickly outnumbered and forced to retreat. Many fear that the victims have already been moved deep into forest enclaves that serve as safe havens for heavily armed gangs.

The government has yet to release a detailed official statement, but there are indications that top security officials have been summoned for emergency meetings. Military units have reportedly been deployed to begin a search-and-rescue operation, though families remain painfully aware that such operations rarely yield quick results. In the past, some abducted schoolchildren were held for weeks or even months before any significant breakthrough.

National outrage has intensified as news of the abduction continues to spread. Nigerians across social platforms are questioning how, in 2025, mass school kidnappings remain a regular feature of national life. Many describe the incident as a failure of governance, leadership, and security strategy. Some citizens are calling for a state of emergency in Niger State; others demand the immediate overhaul of Nigeria’s counter-banditry operations.

The wider security atmosphere in Nigeria has also been tense. Just days earlier, another crisis rocked the nation when Pastor Femi Lazarus was kidnapped in Kwara State during a church service, in an attack that claimed two lives. Elsewhere, the police were battling rumors about an alleged assassination attempt on Navy officer Lt. Ahmed Yerima following his confrontation with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike—claims that authorities later dismissed as false. Nigerians have barely had time to process one tragedy before another erupts.

But the abduction in Papiri cuts differently. It hits at the deepest layer of national vulnerability: children. Innocent students who went to school seeking knowledge and safety have instead been thrust into the hands of gunmen who operate with impunity and frightening confidence. Their futures now hang in the balance.

Tonight, dozens of parents are unable to sleep. Hundreds of siblings are waiting for brothers and sisters who may be trekking barefoot through forests. And a nation is once again forced to confront a haunting question that should never be asked this often: How long will Nigeria continue losing its children to bandits?

Busterblog will continue to follow this story as it develops.