Outcry Over Abduction of Schoolchildren in Nigeria

Wed Nov 26 2025 02:58:01 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Catholic Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna criticizes the Nigerian government for inaction in the rescue of over 250 abducted children, amid rising insecurity in the country.

The Catholic Bishop of Niger has condemned the Nigerian government's lack of effort in rescuing more than 250 children abducted from a boarding school. The Bishop claims that only their names have been collected, with no substantial action taken. The police chief refutes this, suggesting the school has not cooperated with search efforts. The abduction marks a growing crisis of insecurity in Nigeria, prompting international attention and calls for effective measures to protect citizens.

Nigeria's government is making no meaningful effort to rescue more than 250 children abducted from a Catholic boarding school in the central state of Niger last Friday, the main Catholic cleric in the region has told the BBC.

But Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna's accusation was disputed by the state's police chief, who accused the school of failing to cooperate with its search and rescue operations.

It is unclear who abducted the children from St Mary's school in Papiri village, but criminal gangs have been involved in kidnappings for ransom across Nigeria.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene militarily in Nigeria if the government fails to stop the killing of Christians.

Nigeria is the most populous state in Africa, with a large Christian and Muslim population. Its government says that people of all faiths and no faith are victims of insecurity in the country.

Militant Islamist groups are also waging an insurgency in Nigeria, with the government confirming last week that a senior army general had been killed by jihadists in an ambush in north-eastern Borno state.

The Niger state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) says that 303 students and 12 members of staff were abducted from the school in Papiri village, but 50 children managed to escape and have been reunited with their families.

Bishop Yohanna - who is the chairman of the Niger chapter of CAN and leads the Catholic church in the region - told the BBC that the only official action taken so far to rescue the students had been to compile their names. I'm not aware of any effort made by government beyond collecting the names of the students from us, he said.

He disputed allegations made the governor of Niger state, Umar Bago, in local media that the church had defied an order to close its school after threats of attacks. We did not receive any order at any point, the bishop added.