Abuja, Nigeria — Hundreds of Catholic schoolchildren were abducted on Thursday after armed gunmen stormed St. Martin’s Catholic Boarding School in Kaduna State, prompting a nationwide outcry and an intensive military search across north-western Nigeria. The mass abduction is one of the largest school kidnappings in the country since 2014, when Boko Haram seized the Chibok schoolgirls.
According to local officials, heavily armed attackers overpowered security guards shortly after midnight, forcing their way into the dormitories and rounding up students before escaping into nearby forest areas. Initial reports suggest that more than 300 children were taken, though authorities say the exact number is still being verified as frantic parents rush to locate their children.
Nigerian security agencies, including the army and police tactical units, have launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation across forest corridors stretching between Kaduna, Niger and Katsina states. Drones and ground-tracking teams were deployed early Friday as authorities attempt to intercept the kidnappers before the hostages are moved deeper into remote territories controlled by armed groups.
No group has yet claimed responsibility. However, security analysts say the operation bears the hallmarks of the jihadist-aligned and bandit militias that have plagued northern Nigeria for more than a decade, often targeting schools for ransom.
President Bola Tinubu condemned the attack as “an assault on the nation’s future” and vowed that the government “will not rest until every child is safely returned.” He directed military commanders to prioritise the rescue mission and tighten security around schools in high-risk regions.
Parents gathered outside the school on Friday morning, many distraught and demanding answers. “They took our children in the night. We don’t know where they are or if they are alive,” said one grieving mother, echoing the fear felt by dozens of families awaiting updates.
The attack underscores Nigeria’s ongoing struggle to contain armed groups that continue to terrorise rural communities, undermine education, and stretch national security responses. Human-rights organisations have renewed calls for stronger school-protection policies and improved intelligence operations to prevent recurring mass abductions.
Authorities have appealed for calm and urged residents to assist investigators with credible information. Rescue teams are continuing operations through the night as the search area expands.
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