A father has told the BBC he felt powerless as he witnessed gunmen on motorbikes abduct dozens of children, including his son, after storming a Catholic boarding school in northern Nigeria in the early hours of Friday.
The father, who wished to remain anonymous and is referred to as Theo for safety reasons, recounted waking up to the chaos outside his home as children were taken from St Mary's school in Papiri village in Niger state. They [the children] were being trafficked on foot the way shepherds control their herds. Some children were falling and the men would kick them and instruct them to stand up, he said.
Theo said he felt an urge to intervene but ultimately felt there was nothing he could do against such armed attackers. He attempted to call the police, but they arrived too late. According to reports, 303 students and staff members were taken, although the police reported fewer have escaped capturing that night.
Parents have been camped outside the school, expressing frustration with the government's response and feeling abandoned. Theo lamented the lack of attention from the state governor, who only visited a nearby community rather than the school itself during this crisis.
The persistent insecurity in Niger's northern region is largely blamed on criminal gangs who operate with impunity, using vast forested areas as their hideouts. As the crisis escalates, many parents are withdrawing their children from schools out of fear.
This incident marks the third kidnapping in Nigeria within a week, as the government faces increasing pressure to address the spiraling violence and insecurity affecting schools and communities.
