Save the Children international SCI, has raised alarm over the abduction of students and staff from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State. Armed men reportedly stormed the school in the early hours of Friday and took away an estimated 52 pupils, although authorities are still confirming the exact number.
The incident comes less than a week after 25 schoolgirls were kidnapped from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State. The back to back attacks have intensified concerns over the safety of schools across northern Nigeria. Duncan Harvey, Country Director of Save the Children Nigeria, described the abductions as a distressing reminder of the threats facing children seeking education.
He noted that the attack occurs just days before Nigeria joins other countries at the Fifth International Conference on the Safe Schools Declaration in Nairobi, where governments are expected to adopt the Nairobi Action Plan to strengthen protection for schools during armed conflict.
Security sources says armed groups operating in Kebbi, Niger and Zamfara continue to exploit the Kuyambana–Kamuku forest corridor for movement and logistics, contributing to the rise in attacks across the region. Aside from the two major school abductions, dozens of residents have been kidnapped this month in the three states.
Save the Children commended the swift deployment of police tactical units, military personnel and other security agencies to commence rescue operations. The organisation, however, urged federal and state authorities to intensify efforts to secure the safe release of all abducted students and reinforce long term security measures around schools in vulnerable communities.
The organisation also stressed the need for full implementation of the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence Free Schools and the Minimum Standards for Safe Schools alongside broader interventions addressing poverty, unemployment and governance weaknesses that fuel insecurity.
Between 2014 and 2022, Nigeria recorded 70 school attacks, 1,683 learners abducted, 184 killed and 25 school buildings destroyed. Although the frequency of incidents had declined in recent years, the two abductions recorded this month mark the most significant attacks since the mass kidnapping of more than 200 pupils in Kuriga, Kaduna State, in 2024.
Save the Children warned that without urgent and coordinated action, school attacks could become a dangerous and entrenched pattern. The organisation emphasised that schools must remain safe spaces for learning and that no child should be exposed to harm while pursuing an education.
