The number of boys and girls – aged between eight and 18 years – kidnapped from St Mary’s is almost half of the school’s student population of over 600.
The Nigerian goverment has not commented on the number of children taken from the school, but President Bola Tinubu said on X that “51 out of the missing students of the Catholic School … have been recovered”.
In the same post, Tinubu said: “Thanks to the efforts of our security forces over the last few days, all the 38 worshippers abducted in Eruku, Kwara State have been rescued.”
“I will not relent. Every Nigerian, in every state, has the right to safety – and under my watch, we will secure this nation and protect our people,” he said.
Mounting security fears in Africa’s most populous nation have sparked a wave of school closures across some parts of the country.
Since Islamist militants kidnapped nearly 300 schoolgirls from Chibok town more than a decade ago, Nigeria has struggled with a spate of mass kidnappings, mostly carried out by criminal gangs looking for ransom payments.
Gunmen often attack remote boarding schools where they know a lack of security presence will make for soft targets. Most victims are released after negotiations.
Source: CNA
