ARMED men attacked a Catholic boarding school in a western region of Nigeria early today, abducting several schoolchildren and staff in the latest incident in a growing wave of kidnappings.

The assault on St Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in Papiri, Agwara, serving school children aged 12 to 17, reportedly saw 52 schoolchildren taken. 

The Niger State Police Command said that the attack happened in the early hours and that military and security forces were deployed. 

St Mary’s is situated next to a primary school with more than 50 classrooms and dormitory buildings near the main Yelwa-Mokwa road.

Authorities said the incident occurred despite earlier intelligence warnings of increased threats. 

“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,” they said in a statement.

Residents said that the school relied only on local security, with no official police presence at the time. 

The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora said that a security staffer was “badly shot” during the attack.

The abductions come just days after gunmen seized 25 school girls from a secondary school in neighbouring Kebbi state, though one later escaped. 

On the same day, armed men attacked a church in Kwara state, killing two people and abducting 38 worshippers. 

A ransom of 100 million naira (£53,000) per abductee has reportedly been demanded.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima, visiting Kebbi on Wednesday, vowed that the state would use “every instrument” available to rescue the girls and pursue the attackers.

No group has claimed responsibility, but analysts say armed gangs — often former herders in conflict with farming communities — frequently target schools, travellers and remote villages for ransom. 

More than 1,500 students have been abducted in northern Nigeria since Boko Haram kidnapped 276 Chibok schoolgirls over a decade ago, though criminal gangs are also heavily involved.

Analysts and residents blame the insecurity on a failure to prosecute known attackers and the rampant corruption that limits weapons supplies to security forces while ensuring a steady supply to the gangs.

Pastor Yohanna Buru, head of the Peace Revival And Reconciliation Foundation, urged authorities to increase security, saying: “If the government was doing enough, then rampant kidnapping all over the country would not have happen.

“It’s as if they don’t care about the future of our children.”