ABUJA, NIGERIA – A senior Catholic cleric in Nigeria's central Niger State has accused the government of making "no meaningful effort" to rescue more than 250 schoolchildren abducted from a Catholic boarding school on Friday, November 21, 2025. The accusation intensifies pressure on Nigerian authorities grappling with a surge in kidnappings for ransom and a brutal insurgency.

Gunmen attacked St. Mary's Catholic School in the remote village of Papiri during the early morning hours, kidnapping 303 students, aged between 10 and 18, along with 12 staff members, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). While 50 students managed to escape over the weekend and have returned to their families, the fate of the remaining 253 pupils and their teachers remains unknown as of Wednesday, November 26.

The Most Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, the Catholic Bishop of the Kontagora Diocese and proprietor of the school, voiced his frustration on Tuesday, November 25. "I'm not aware of any effort made by government beyond collecting the names of the students from us," he stated, directly contradicting official accounts of a robust rescue operation. The state's police commissioner disputed the Bishop's claim, accusing the school of failing to cooperate with search and rescue operations. Authorities maintain that tactical police teams and local hunters are combing the surrounding forests.

The Niger State government has also blamed the school, alleging it reopened without state clearance despite a directive to close boarding schools in the area due to heightened security threats. Bishop Yohanna has denied receiving any such order.

A Nation Under Siege

This mass abduction is one of the largest in Nigeria's history and part of a disturbing trend. Just days earlier, on Monday, November 17, gunmen abducted 25 schoolgirls from a secondary school in neighboring Kebbi state. The United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) reported on Tuesday, November 25, that at least 402 people, mostly schoolchildren, have been kidnapped across four northern Nigerian states since November 17. No group has claimed responsibility for the St. Mary's school attack, but criminal gangs, locally known as 'bandits', frequently carry out such kidnappings for ransom.

The crisis is compounded by an ongoing jihadist insurgency in the country's northeast. Last week, the government confirmed that Brigadier General Musa Uba was killed by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants after being captured in an ambush in Borno State around November 15. This event underscores the grave risks faced by Nigerian security forces.

International Pressure Mounts

The security situation has drawn sharp criticism from the United States. President Donald Trump has repeatedly condemned what he terms the "killing of Christians" in Nigeria and threatened to halt aid or intervene militarily. "What's happening in Nigeria is a disgrace," Trump told Fox News Radio on Friday, November 21.

In response, a high-level Nigerian delegation, led by National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, met with U.S. officials in Washington D.C. last week. The meetings, held with officials from the State Department and the Department of War, focused on deepening security cooperation. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with Ribadu on November 20, emphasizing the need for "tangible progress on stopping violence against Christians in Nigeria and combatting West African jihadist terrorist groups," according to a U.S. Department of War statement. The Nigerian delegation rejected allegations of religious persecution, arguing that violence affects all communities and is driven by complex factors including criminality and land disputes. Following the talks, the U.S. affirmed its readiness to enhance intelligence support and expedite defence equipment requests for Nigeria.

The escalating violence poses a significant threat to education and stability in Africa's most populous nation. With hundreds of schools closed and millions of children at risk, the Nigerian government faces immense pressure to secure the release of the Papiri schoolchildren and address the root causes of its multifaceted security crisis.