Hundreds of parents gathered Friday at a Catholic school in north-central Niger, Nigeria, to demand the release of their children abducted last week.
More than 250 children remain in captivity after gunmen attacked the school on the morning of November 21, taking over 300 students and staff. School authorities said about 50 children managed to escape.
“The children they took, some of them are still of tender age,” said Abuchi Nwolisa, a parent, adding that some children were taken directly from their beds. Parents say they are waiting anxiously for news of their children’s safety.
Government responds with emergency measures
Earlier this week, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency, strengthening the country’s police and security forces to fight the rising attacks. This comes after another recent mass abduction in Kebbi State, where 30 students were taken from a school but later released by authorities.
Mass kidnappings of schoolchildren have become increasingly common in Nigeria, where several armed groups operate, often kidnapping children for ransom.
Since 2014, at least a dozen mass abductions have occurred, with more than 1,799 students taken, according to the Associated Press. Some of these children are never rescued.
The human toll and international attention
“We have parents who have two, three, five children with the abductors, and that is why we are here to tell the world that this is real,” said Stephen Okafor, spokesperson for the Minna Catholic Mission.
Tensions in Nigeria have grown following claims by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened potential military intervention, citing persecution of Christians. The Nigerian government dismissed these claims, saying the security challenges are complex and affect the entire country, not a single religion.