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These events reflect growing insecurity in Nigeria’s central and north-western regions, where armed gangs frequently carry out kidnappings, raids on villages, and attacks on religious sites. At the end of November, over 250 children and 12 staff members were abducted from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger state, in one of the largest recent incidents.
Nigeria has faced a worrying pattern of school abductions over the past decade. Since 2014, more than 1,500 children have been kidnapped, including the notorious abduction of 276 girls from Chibok.
According to the Christian Association of Nigeria, 215 pupils and 12 staff members were taken during the predawn raid. Police reported that the armed attackers, often referred to locally as bandits, struck the school at about 02:00 local time (01:00 GMT), seizing students from their hostel while the campus slept.
Rights groups noted that these facilities have a history of unlawful detention, torture, and enforced disappearances. They warned that the activists’ incommunicado detention has already exceeded Uganda’s legal 48-hour limit, breaching their rights to liberty, a fair trial, and protection from cruel treatment.