Abuja: More than 200 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were abducted in the early hours of Friday when armed gunmen stormed St. Mary’s Catholic School in the Papiri community of Niger state, marking one of the largest mass kidnappings in recent years.

The Niger State Police Command confirmed the abductions and said military and security forces have since been deployed to the community. The school, identified as a secondary institution serving children between the ages of 12 and 17, was attacked before dawn.

The incident unfolded against the backdrop of heightened global attention following US President Donald Trump's recent warning that he may intervene militarily to end what he described as a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria — a claim the government has firmly denied.

Abubakar Usman, Secre

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