303 children and 12 teachers kidnapped from Nigerian Catholic school

Gunmen kidnapped 303 children and 12 teachers in an attack on St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in Nigeria. Initial reports indicated that at least 52 children were kidnapped before the tally rose to over 200 children and then to its final tally of 303.

Most of them. Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna said in a statement that the total number of people kidnapped was determined “after a verification exercise and a final census”, according to The Associated Press. Yohanna is the Chairman of the Niger State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), who visited the school on Friday. The AP noted that the kidnapped students were men and women and ranged in age from 10 to 18 years old.

Gunmen attack church in Nigeria, killing two and kidnapping others

In this photo released by the Christian Association of Nigeria, a man walks past business at St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School after gunmen abducted children and staff in the Papiri community in Nigeria on November 21, 2025. (Christian Association of Nigeria via AP)

No group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack, according to the AP. The outlet added that authorities said tactical squads and local hunters were working to rescue the kidnapped children.

After the attack, the state government said St. Mary’s School had reopened despite warnings of increased threats. However, Yohanna denied the claim, the AP reported.

“We have not received any circular. This must be an afterthought and a way of shifting blame,” he said, according to the AP.

This photo released by the Christian Association of Nigeria shows the dormitories of St. Mary Catholic Primary and Secondary School after gunmen abducted children and staff in the Papiri community in Nigeria on November 21, 2025. (Christian Association of Nigeria via AP)

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The attack on 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 staff member. The search for the kidnapped schoolgirls is still ongoing.

A woman watches as she walks past a classroom at the Shehu Kangiwa Model Primary School in Argungu, Kebbi State, northern Nigeria, April 12, 2025. (Leslie Fauvel / AFP via Getty Images)

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Nigeria has witnessed a series of attacks on Christians and their institutions, prompting President Donald Trump to declare the West African country a “country of particular concern.” However, the Nigerian government has disputed the US claims.

On Tuesday, US Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, hosted an event highlighting the ongoing violence in Nigeria. During the event, Waltz called the killings of Christians in Nigeria a “genocide wearing the mask of chaos.” He was joined by rap superstar Nicki Minaj, who called for religious freedom for all.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.