Overview
- The Christian Association of Nigeria said 303 students and 12 teachers were seized from St. Mary’s in Papiri during an overnight assault around 2 a.m. Friday.
- School authorities reported that 50 students have reunited with families, leaving about 253 students and 12 teachers still held.
- Police and military units, joined by local trackers, are searching surrounding forests, and authorities ordered temporary closures of boarding schools in high‑risk areas.
- No group has claimed responsibility, with officials suspecting ransom‑kidnapping gangs commonly referred to as bandits.
- State officials allege the school reopened despite security warnings, a claim CAN disputes, as the incident followed a separate abduction of 25 girls in Kebbi and drew UN condemnation and threats of punitive action from the United States.