Crime

Bandits Raid Niger State Catholic School, Abduct Scores of Students in Daring Night Attack

Published by Akinwale Fakinlede on November 21st, 2025.

In a chilling reminder of the persistent insecurity plaguing parts of northern Nigeria, armed bandits launched a late-night assault on a Catholic school in Niger State, abducting numerous students and plunging families and the wider community into panic.

The attackers, reportedly numbering several dozens, stormed the school premises in the early hours of the morning. Witnesses said the armed men arrived on motorcycles, overpowering local vigilantes before forcing their way into the dormitory area. The terrified students were herded out of their rooms and marched away into the nearby forest.

Residents described the incident as both sudden and brutal. “We just heard gunshots everywhere,” a community member recounted. “Before anyone understood what was happening, they had taken the children.”

Authorities have since deployed security operatives to track the criminals and rescue the abducted students. The Niger State Government condemned the attack, describing it as “a direct assault on our children, our education system, and the peace of our communities.” Officials assured parents that every effort is underway to secure the victims’ safe return.

This latest abduction adds to the growing concerns over school safety in Nigeria’s northern region, where students have increasingly become targets in the ongoing wave of banditry. Education advocates warn that unless urgent steps are taken to reinforce security around learning institutions, more children may be forced out of school due to fear and instability.

Parents of the kidnapped students are now left in anguish, waiting for news about their children’s condition. For the community, the attack is yet another painful chapter in a long struggle against armed criminal groups who have repeatedly terrorized rural settlements.

As rescue operations continue, the nation watches closely, hoping for a swift and safe recovery of the abducted students and renewed commitment to ending the insecurity threatening the country’s future.