The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) announced on Friday that unidentified armed men stormed a Catholic school in Zamfara State, northwest Nigeria, in the early hours of Thursday and kidnapped at least 227 people, including students, teachers, and staff members.
Kabul 24: This incident marks one of the largest mass abductions in the country in recent months.According to local sources and eyewitnesses, the attackers arrived on motorcycles, fired shots into the air, broke into the school premises, and forcibly took the victims into the surrounding forests.
No group has yet claimed responsibility, but the modus operandi closely resembles that of criminal gangs locally known as “bandits,” who have been terrorizing Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states for years through kidnappings, killings, and extortion.
This abduction is the fourth major attack on educational institutions in northwest Nigeria in less than a week. In the preceding incidents, more than 300 students and staff were taken from schools in neighboring states, with many later released after ransoms reportedly worth millions of naira were paid.
In response to the escalating violence, the governments of Zamfara, Katsina, and Sokoto states have ordered the immediate closure of 47 schools and educational centers.
Authorities stated that the institutions will remain shut until new security measures are fully implemented. Many parents have also withdrawn their children from remaining open schools, and widespread fear now grips local communities.
The federal government has pledged to deploy additional security forces to the region, but critics argue that military responses have so far failed to curb the crisis.
They point to deep-rooted issues such as poverty, youth unemployment, and weak local governance as key factors fueling the ongoing insecurity.As of now, there is no information on the whereabouts or condition of the 227 newly abducted victims, and no negotiations for their release have been reported.
