Nigeria reels after second mass school abduction in a week

"The Niger state government has received with deep sadness the disturbing news of the kidnapping of pupils from St Mary's School in Agwara local government area, Abubakar Usman, the state government secretary, said in a statement. Niger, the biggest of the country's 36 states, runs west from the capital, Abuja, to neighbouring Benin. The incident in the early hours of Friday is the third documented mass school abduction in the state in the last decade."

"In the last attack in Niger state, in May 2021, 135 pupils were abducted from an Islamic seminary, six of whom died while being held. On Monday, gunmen stormed a girls' boarding school in neighbouring Kebbi state, abducting 25 schoolgirls and killing the vice-principal. According to local reports, security forces had relayed information about the plot and spent the night guarding the school but left the scene early."

Unknown gunmen abducted an unspecified number of students from St Mary's School in Papiri community, Agwara local government area, Niger state, in the early hours of Friday. Niger state officials expressed deep sadness at the kidnappings. The incident is the third documented mass school abduction in the state within a decade; in May 2021, 135 pupils were abducted from an Islamic seminary, six of whom died while being held. On Monday, gunmen stormed a girls' boarding school in neighbouring Kebbi state, abducting 25 schoolgirls and killing the vice-principal. Local reports say security forces had guarded the Kebbi school overnight but left early, abandoning students about 30 minutes before the attack. No group has claimed responsibility; analysts say gangs often kidnap for ransom and many perpetrators are former herders who have clashed with farming communities. International commentary included a threat of military intervention by Donald Trump to end a claimed Christian genocide, which the Nigerian government denied, while the president ordered a junior defence minister to relocate to the affected state to assist rescue efforts.

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