In a distressing incident early Friday, gunmen targeted a Catholic school in Nigeria, abducting several students and staff members. This attack is the latest in a series of assaults on Christian institutions in the country.

According to Nigerian media outlet Arise TV, 52 children were kidnapped from St. Mary’s School, located in the Papiri community within the Agwara local government area. The Associated Press, referencing Abubakar Usman, the secretary to the Niger state government, reported on the incident. However, Usman did not provide specific details regarding the number of children taken during the attack.

The Niger State Police Command has confirmed that military and security forces were swiftly deployed to the scene following the attack, which occurred in the early hours of Friday. St. Mary’s School serves students aged 12 to 17, as noted by the police command.

In the wake of the abduction, Usman issued a statement criticizing the school’s decision to reopen, despite prior warnings about security threats, as reported by Arise TV. “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 statement read.

Following the attack, Usman released a statement condemning the abductions and stating that St. Mary’s made the decision to reopen despite prior security intelligence warning of increased threats, according to Arise TV.

“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 statement read.

The attack at St. Mary’s follows a similar incident earlier this week in which armed attackers kidnapped 25 girls from a boarding school in Nigeria’s Kebbi State and killed at least one staffer. The search for the abducted schoolgirls is still underway.

On Wednesday, gunmen attacked the Christ Apostolic Church, killing at least two people and abducting the pastor and 38 worshippers, according to Reuters. In a video of the attack, which was reviewed and verified by Reuters, armed men are seen entering the church and taking worshippers’ belongings as gunshots ring out. The outlet later reported that a church official said the gunmen demanded a ransom of 100 million naira (roughly $69,000) per worshipper.

Gunmen pick up the belongings left behind by worshipers who ran for cover after hearing gunshots, as they walk into a Church in Eruku, Kwara state, Nigeria, on Nov. 18, 2025, in this picture obtained from social media. (Social media/via Reuters)

Nigeria has seen a series of attacks on Christians, prompting President Donald Trump to declare the West African nation a “country of particular concern” over the persecution of Christians. However, the Nigerian government has disputed the U.S.’s claims.

On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz held an event highlighting the ongoing violence in Nigeria. During the event, Waltz called the killings of Christians in Nigeria “genocide wearing the mask of chaos.”

“Folks, we have an entire faith that is being erased, one bullet at a time, one torched Bible at a time,” Waltz said.

Nicki Minaj is greeted by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz ahead of a panel discussion titled “Combatting Religious Violence and the Killing of Christians in Nigeria” at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York City on Nov. 18, 2025. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

Rap superstar Nicki Minaj, who has been vocal about her support for the Trump administration’s efforts to combat the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, spoke at Waltz’s event. Minaj lamented that “families have been torn apart, and entire communities live in fear constantly, simply because of how they pray.”