Another day, another anti-Christian attack by jihadists in strife-torn Nigeria. Multiple news agencies reported Friday dozens of pupils have been abducted by armed men from a Catholic school in the center of the country.
The BBC reports the latest attack targeted St Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger state, where authorities had already ordered the temporary closure of all boarding schools due to rising security threats by attackers.
Local media broadcaster Arise TV said 52 schoolchildren were abducted.
AP reports the Niger State Police Command said the abductions took place in the early hours of Friday and that military and security forces have since been deployed to the community. It described St. Mary’s is a secondary school, which serves children between the ages of in 12 and 17.
Nigeria has faced a renewed wave of attacks by armed gangs in recent days, including the kidnapping on Monday of 25 schoolgirls from a boarding school in nearby Kebbi state.
The school kidnappings and an attack on a church earlier this week come weeks after U.S, President Donald Trump threatened military action over the targeted killings of Nigeria’s Christians.
“The Niger State government has received with deep sadness the disturbing news of the kidnapping of pupils from St. Mary’s School in Agwara local government area,” Abubakar Usman, the state government secretary, confirmed in a statement.
“The exact number of abducted pupils is yet to be confirmed as security agencies continue to assess the situation”.
AFP reports Nigerian security forces have been placed on high alert this week as the country faces an uncomfortable spotlight on its security situation, a continuation of long-term anti-Christian activities that have been growing right across Africa in recent years.
In a separate attack on a church in western Nigeria on Tuesday, gunmen killed two people during a service that was recorded and broadcast online. Dozens of worshippers are believed to have been abducted.
Analysts and residents blame the Nigeria lawless insecurity on a failure to prosecute known attackers, and the rampant corruption that limits weapons supplies to security forces while ensuring a steady supply to the gangs.
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