Armed Men Kidnap Hundreds from Catholic School in Nigeria

A look at the Nigeria school abductions and lessons for Christian security teams.

What Christian Security Teams Must Learn from This Attack

Nigeria has suffered another major attack on Christians, this time at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State. Armed men stormed the compound in the early hours of Friday morning and kidnapped what is now believed to be more than two hundred schoolchildren along with multiple staff. A security guard was shot during the attack. This happened only days after another group of schoolgirls was kidnapped in the neighboring Kebbi State. Christians in this region continue to be hunted while the world looks away.

Initial reports from Western outlets minimized the scale of the abduction and downplayed who is responsible. Local Christian leaders and regional patterns point to the same groups that have carried out these attacks for over a decade. Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Fulani militant factions have repeatedly targeted Christian schools, churches, and villages. These attacks follow the same pattern. Armed Islamic militants come in, overwhelm whatever small security presence exists, and disappear with children who are later used for ransom, forced labor, or forced conversion. This is not a random crime problem. It is a systematic campaign of violence against Christians.

St. Mary’s is a boarding school. The attackers arrived when children were still asleep. Government officials admitted they had issued intelligence warnings about heightened threats and had advised schools not to reopen. St. Mary’s reopened anyway, reportedly without notifying the state, leaving students exposed. After the abduction, military units were deployed to the area, but as parents in Nigeria know all too well, the arrival of soldiers usually means the tragedy has already happened.

This is the reality many Christians in Nigeria live with. They face constant attacks on their villages, churches, and schools. Thousands have been killed in recent years, and more than fifteen hundred students have been abducted since the Chibok kidnappings in 2014. Whether the Western press is willing to say it or not, this is a Christian genocide. If we remain silent, we help bury the truth.

What This Means for Christian Schools Here in the United States

Schools in America may not be boarding schools, but that does not make them less vulnerable. Christian schools and church-run educational programs are predictable targets. They have fixed schedules, soft perimeters, limited trained staff, and large groups of children in concentrated spaces. People assume it cannot happen here, which is why many schools operate with little to no dedicated security presence.

If your church runs a school, you need a roving security team during school hours. This means trained believers who understand how to patrol, watch for suspicious behavior, communicate with staff, and respond quickly to emergencies. They do not need to be aggressive. They need to be present. Children deserve to be protected, and visibility saves lives.

Christian schools cannot afford to treat security as an afterthought. The persecution in Nigeria is a reminder of how quickly evil targets the vulnerable. Even though our threat picture is different, our responsibility is the same. Protect the children God has entrusted to us.

Why You Need to Share This Story

We cannot let the world forget what is happening to Christians in Nigeria. Sharing these stories is not about spreading fear. It is about refusing to let the suffering of our brothers and sisters be ignored. When we speak openly about the genocide happening there, we honor the families who have lost children and encourage believers everywhere to stay alert and prayerful.

Most Christians in America have no idea how severe the situation has become. They do not see the daily attacks on villages, the constant kidnappings, the burned churches, or the mothers who wait for children who never return. We have the ability to speak for them. We should not waste it.

A Biblical Look at Protection and Courage

Scripture calls us to love, to pray, and to stand firm. It also calls us to defend the innocent. Romans 13:4 (ESV) says that the governing authority is “the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” The principle is clear. Restraining evil is righteous. Protecting the vulnerable is righteous. Evil is not meant to go unanswered.

Many of my readers have that protective instinct. When they hear that hundreds of children have been kidnapped, their first reaction is to go save them. That desire to defend the innocent is not something to be ashamed of. It reflects the heart of a protector. Our role is to channel that instinct through prayer, preparedness, training, and action where God has placed us. We serve in our churches, in our neighborhoods, and within our own congregations. We guard so people can worship freely. We prepare so evil does not catch us unaware.

Christian security work is not about fear. It is about obedience. It is about stewardship. And it is about honoring the God who entrusts these children, these families, and these congregations to our care.

We will pray for the children taken in Nigeria. We will pray for their families. And we will continue to train, prepare, and stand watch so our own churches and schools remain places of safety where Christ can be worshiped without fear.

Stay alert. Stay grounded in Scripture. And keep these families in your prayers.

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Sources

• “Number of children abducted in Nigerian school attack raised to more than 300.” Associated Press. Link

• “Another school kidnapping rocks Nigeria as Trump threatens military force.” Washington Post. Link

• “Nigeria’s schoolchildren again targeted in mass abductions.” ISS Africa. Link

• “Nigeria: 10 Years After Chibok, Schoolchildren Still at Risk.” Human Rights Watch. Link

• “Abduction of schoolgirls in Nigeria’s Kebbi State.” Plan International. Link

• “Why mass kidnappings still plague Nigeria a decade after Chibok abductions.” Al Jazeera. Link

• “Boko Haram’s Assault on Education in Northern Nigeria.” Diplomatic Courier. Link