November 22, 2025
Web desk
Nigeria is facing another grim stretch of violence as armed groups launched a series of kidnappings across multiple states, targeting both schools and a church congregation. Authorities say the attacks, which unfolded over the past week, appear to be the work of ransom-driven criminal gangs rather than extremist factions.
In Kebbi, gunmen stormed a Muslim girls’ school and took 25 students the first major school abduction since early 2024. Similar raids followed in Zamfara, where 64 people were seized, and in Kwara, where an attack on a church left two worshippers dead and 38 abducted after assailants demanded ransom. The violence continued into Friday, when another group of armed men kidnapped 52 students from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State.
Security analysts say these groups operate with near impunity in remote forests, slipping past overstretched security forces while targeting schools with weak protection. “It’s a business for them,” one regional expert noted, pointing to rising ransom trends and poor state presence in rural communities.
The surge in attacks has raised political tension at home and abroad, particularly after U.S. President Donald Trump hinted Washington may pressure Nigeria over the reported targeting of Christians. Nigerian officials, however, insist the violence is broader and affects all communities.
