School pupils kidnapped in central Nigeria: state official

An unknown number of pupils have been abducted from a Catholic school in central Nigeria, an official said Friday, in the second such incident in less than 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.

"The exact number of abducted pupils is yet to be confirmed as security agencies continue to assess the situation," he adds.

This comes as Nigeria grapples with security challenges, where kidnapping by terrorists and criminal gangs remains a challenge for security forces.

History of cases

At least 25 schoolgirls were kidnapped by unknown gunmen during an early Monday morning attack on a school in Nigeria's northwestern Kebbi State, while a vice principal and a security guard were shot and killed for resisting.

Despite government promises to improve security, Northwest Nigeria continues to suffer from repeated school abductions by armed gangs seeking ransom payments.

The latest incident continues a troubling trend that began with Boko Haram's kidnapping of 270 Chibok schoolgirls in 2014.

Since then, over 500 students have been kidnapped, with armed groups taking advantage of Nigeria's poorly policed regions to extract lucrative ransoms.

The Nigerian government has vowed to step up operations against kidnappers, but insecurity persists, making schools vulnerable.