Nigeria suffers one of its worst mass kidnapping as gunmen abduct over 300 schoolchildren
The number of boys and girls kidnapped from St Mary's co-education school in Niger state in central Nigeria is almost half of the school's student population of 629.
NIGERIA has suffered one of its worst mass kidnappings as gunmen abducted over 300 schoolchildren in Niger state in central Nigeria on Friday, amid security fears.
Earlier, it was estimated that 227 students were abducted. However, the Christian Association of Nigeria on Saturday said that the number of students and teachers abducted from a Catholic school St Mary's co-education school is 315.
The Christian Association of Nigeria said a verification exercise had found that a further 88 students had been captured after they tried to escape.
"This now makes it 303 students (and) ... 12 teachers, bringing the total number of abducted persons to 315," it said in a statement.
No group has so far claimed responsibility.
On Monday, the gunmen stormed a secondary school in neighbouring Kebbi state, abducting 25 girls.
The two abduction operations have taken place since US President Donald Trump threatened military action over what he called the killing of Christians by radical Islamists in Nigeria.
Though the Nigerian government has not commented on the number of abducted students and teachers, the number is almost half of the school's student population of 629.
The intelligence department and police were "doing the head count" and the figure would be released by the end of the day, reported A,P quoting Niger state governor Mohammed Umar Bago, as saying to reporters.
As a precautionary measure, Bago, whose government had ordered some schools shut, also ordered the closure of all schools in his state.
The national education ministry has also ordered 47 boarding secondary schools across the country be shut.
President Bola Tinubu has cancelled international engagements, including attending the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to handle the crisis.
Meanwhile, in a statement, the Pentagon has said that during talks with Nigerian National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth called on Abuja to "take both urgent and enduring action to stop violence against Christians.
Nigeria is still scarred by the kidnapping of nearly 300 girls by Boko Haram jihadists at Chibok in north-eastern Borno state more than a decade ago. Some of those girls are still missing.
