Nigeria in shock: Parents panic as wave of student abductions escalates

The Chairman of the National Proprietors of Private Schools, Otubela Abayomi, told Punch that the association’s National Executive Committee would meet on Sunday to assess the situation.

“It is a matter of grave concern to us,” he said. “We are seeking firsthand information from our local chairpersons beyond media reports.”

Abayomi described the repeated abductions as “painful” and “saddening,” warning that the attacks were undermining Nigeria’s future.

“It seems there is no end to the kidnapping of children and workers within schools. Those supposed to lead the country tomorrow are being denied quality education, while others live in fear,” he said.

He added that although none of the association’s members had been directly affected, the crisis was widely felt. “One man’s problem is everybody’s problem. We are grieving,” he said.

The latest mass abduction in Niger State has drawn strong international condemnation.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed expressed deep alarm on Saturday over the kidnapping at St. Mary’s School in Papiri, calling for the immediate release of the victims.

Initial reports suggested 215 pupils had been abducted early Friday, but the Christian Association of Nigeria later revised the number to 303 students and 12 teachers.

The association’s local chairperson, who visited the school, said more than 80 students were seized while attempting to flee. The victims include boys and girls aged 10 to 18.

The mass kidnapping is the second this week, following the abduction of 25 pupils from a school in Kebbi State. The number taken in the Papiri attack surpasses the 276 girls abducted in Chibok in 2014.

No group has claimed responsibility for the latest assault. Security forces have been deployed to track the victims and their captors, while all schools in Niger State have been ordered closed until further notice.

Mohammed, formerly Nigeria’s environment minister, wrote on social media that schools must remain “sanctuaries for education, not targets,” urging accountability for perpetrators.

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, said the incident was “heartbreaking,” coming days after the Kebbi abduction. He conveyed condolences to affected families and urged intensified efforts to ensure the safe return of students and staff.

He reiterated the need to fully implement the Safe School Declaration, endorsed by Nigeria in 2015 at the First International Conference on Safe Schools in Oslo.