Nigeria has again captured global headlines following a string of attacks targeting schools and places of worship.

More than 200 schoolchildren were kidnapped by gunmen who attacked a St. Mary’s Catholic school in northcentral Nigeria’s Niger state on Friday, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria.

The gunmen who invaded the boarding school in the Agwara local government’s Papiri community also took 12 teachers, according to Daniel Atori, a spokesperson to the Niger state chapter of CAN.

“I have just got back to the village this night after I visited the school where I also met with parents of the children to assure them that we are working with the government and Security agencies to see that our children are rescued and brought back safely,” Atori said in a statement.

According to a different statement issued by the Diocese of Kontagora, the incident occured between 1:00am and 3:00am on Friday, causing “fear and distress within the school community.”

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“The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora strongly condemns the attack and expresses deep concern for the safety of the kidnapped children and their families. Security agencies were immediately informed and have begun coordinated efforts to ensure the safe rescue and return of the victims. The Bishop assures the public that the Diocese is actively collaborating with security operatives, community leaders, and government authorities, “said the statement signed by Father Jatau Luka Joseph.

“The Diocese calls on the public to remain calm, support security efforts and continue praying for the safe and quick return of all abducted. It also reaffirms its commitment to the protection of children and promises to provide further updates as verified information becomes available,” the statement said.

UNICEF condemned the attack, saying in a statement that no child “should be put at risk while pursuing an education,” stressing that classrooms must remain places of safety, not fear.

The BBC quotes local resident Dominic Adamu as saying that the attackers “took everybody by surprise.”

A distressed woman whose nieces aged six and 13 told the British broadcaster she just wants them to come home.

Niger state government said it had ordered all boarding schools to close, citing security concerns, blaming the Catholic school for disregarding that order.

“Regrettably, St. Mary’s School proceeded to reopen and resume academic activities without notifying or seeking clearance from the state government, thereby exposing pupils and the staff to avoidable risk,” the authorities said in a statement.

The attack on St. Mary’s School comes barely a week after gunmen stormed a government school in neighboring Kebbi State and kidnapped at least 25 girls.

The attackers, armed with what police described as “sophisticated weapons” engaged the police in a bullet exchange, before scaling the walls of the school. They then abducted the girls from their dorms, killed the vice Principal who tried to resist the abductions, and wounded another staffer.

The wife of the school’s murdered vice-principal told Nigerian television she had tried to wake her husband up after hearing noise outside their house before the gunmen burst in.

“Three of them entered and asked my husband, ‘Are you Malam Hassan?’ and he responded, ‘Yes, I am.’ They told him that ‘We are here to kill you,'” Amina Hassan said.

“We started struggling with them and one of them pulled out his gun and shot my husband, then he dragged me by my hand outside the house. I was still arguing with them when my daughter came out, then they left me and went to her and took her with them,” she said.

On November 17, gunmen abducted Father Bobbo Paschal from his residence at St. Stephen Parish in the Kaduna Catholic Archdiocese. The attack also resulted in the kidnapping of numerous others and the death of Father Anthony Yero’s brother.

On Tuesday, gunmen stormed Christ Apostolic Church in Oke Isegun in the Kwara State — a region that acts as a transit corridor between the north and south of Nigeria.

Video footage from security cameras revealed that the attackers scaled the fence of the church and immediately opened fire. The Church’s pastor instructed worshipers to take cover in a small room which was then locked. Others hid behind the altar and others under drapes.

Once they entered the church house, they began collecting the purses of women who left them behind as they fled. Later, they took some Christians hostage and dragged them to the bush.

According to Church officials, the attackers kidnapped 38 people and are demanding a ransom worth $69,000 per worshipper.

The Nigerian government has often framed the attacks as being carried out by bandits, but for many defenders of Christianity, it is genocide.

“There are no two ways of describing what’s happening in Nigeria: it’s a genocide,” said Emeka Umeagbalasi, Director of the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, Intersociety.

Recently, Intersociety came up with a sobering report the returned disturbing statistics: at least 113 Christians have been killed in the African country within two weeks – October 28 to November 17, 2025. 114 others were kidnapped within the same period.

An earlier report indicated that from 2010 to Oc2025, not less than 185,000 people were killed on account of their faith. At least 19,100 churches were also destroyed, and 1,100 Christian communities were taken over by jihadist forces allegedly protected by the government.

The violence has also forced more than 15 million people out of their homes. In addition, 600 clerics were abducted and dozens were killed.

“The killings are planned, coordinated, and if nothing is done, Christianity could be wiped out from Nigeria within 50 years,” Umeagbalasi told Crux.