Gunmen kidnap more than 300 students and teachers from a school in Nigeria

Armed men kidnapped more than 300 students and teachers from a Catholic school in central Nigeria yesterday, in the second such operation to affect a school in Nigeria within a week.

The kidnapping from St. Mary’s School comes after gunmen kidnapped 25 other girls from a secondary school in Kebbi State (northwest) last Monday.

Amid growing concerns about security, authorities ordered the closure of all schools in neighboring Katsina and Plateau states as a precaution.

Meanwhile, Nigerian President Bola Tebo canceled his international engagements, including attending the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to deal with the crisis.

The Niger State government, which closed many schools, accused St. Mary’s School of violating orders to temporarily close all boarding schools in parts of the state, following the receipt of a security report indicating a “high level of threat” in the areas adjacent to Kebbi, accusing the school of resuming its academic activities without informing the state government or obtaining its approval, thereby exposing the lives of students and employees to danger that could have been avoided.