Father feels helpless as children taken away from Catholic school in Papiri, Niger State

A father told the BBC he felt powerless as he watched gunmen on motorcycles attack a Catholic boarding school in northern Nigeria in the early hours of Friday and abduct dozens of children, including his son.

The father said he was awakened by the noise of the gunmen as they passed his home with the children they abducted from St. Mary’s School in the village of Papiri in Niger state.

“They (children) were trafficked on foot, the same way shepherds control their herds of cattle. Some of the children fell down and the men would kick them and instruct them to stand up.

“The gunmen controlled about 50 motorcycles,” said the father, whose name we have changed to Theo for his safety.

Speaking to the BBC in the dormitory where his son once slept, Theo said he was powerless to prevent the kidnapping.

“I wanted to go (help) but I thought twice. Even if I did go, what could I do? There’s nothing I can do,” he told the BBC, adding that he called the police but by the time they arrived it was too late.

The Christian Council of Nigeria said 303 students and 12 staff members were taken away Escaped from the school, but 50 of the children managed to escape and reunite with their families.

The school is run by the president of the Niger branch of the association, who shared the list of abductees with the BBC.

However, the police said that they only knew that a few children escaped on the night of the kidnapping and could not confirm that there were 50 other children who escaped.

Niger state governor Umar Bago told local media that the number of kidnapped students was exaggerated and was “far lower” than 303.

The governor blamed school authorities for opening schools despite threats from unidentified gunmen four years ago and two months ago.

“Schools in the area have been closed for four years. I was surprised to find that the schools were still open,” Baggo said.

He also insisted the attack was just a “scare” and that all students would be rescued sooner or later.

Theo camped outside the school with some other parents, angry at the government’s response to the kidnapping.

“Our children have been kidnapped, but the government doesn’t seem to be paying attention,” Theo said.

He said he was frustrated that the governor did not visit the school but instead traveled to nearby communities to speak with security agencies and local leaders.

“We came to the conclusion that the government didn’t care about us – we felt like we were not part of the country and they had abandoned us.”

The pain felt by the parents of those whose children remain missing is palpable.

“I’m so sad, my whole life is filled with sadness,” said a mother whose son was among the children taken away by the gunmen.

“He is my only son, he is my eldest son, please help us,” she said.

Another parent, Lucas, told the BBC that two of his children were kidnapped but the youngest, a six-year-old boy, was lucky to avoid falling into the clutches of the kidnappers.

“I was so excited when I saw him. I called his name and he turned and ran to me. I hugged and hugged him,” he said.

The northern region of Niger where Papiri is located has recently become a hotspot for kidnapping and ransom incidents.

Ransom payments have been banned in an effort to reduce the supply of funds to criminal gangs, but have had little effect.

The BBC team drove some 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Minna, the Niger state capital, to Papiri and were repeatedly advised not to take certain routes and were sometimes escorted by police.

Many blame the crisis on the scale of the country. Niger is the largest country in Nigeria in terms of land area, larger than European countries such as Denmark and the Netherlands.

It also has extensive forests that are used by criminal gangs known locally as bandits as camps and routes connecting other Nigerian states as well as neighboring countries.

The kidnapping at the school was the third in Nigeria in a week.

Last Monday more than 20 Muslim schoolgirls were abducted from a boarding school in Kebbi state, which borders Niger, and the BBC has learned they were Muslim.

A church in southern Kwara state was also attacked, leaving two people dead and dozens of worshipers abducted.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu canceled his trip to the G20 summit in South Africa over the weekend in response to the crisis.

He posted on social media on Sunday that all 38 believers kidnapped in Kwara State had been rescued.

A spate of kidnappings has forced the closure of many boarding schools across Nigeria, sending parents rushing to pick up their children.

The government faces pressure from US President Donald Trump He warned earlier this month that he would “shoot the gun” by sending troops to Nigeria if it “continues to allow Islamic militants to kill Christians.”

Nigeria’s government said claims that Christians were being persecuted was a “gross distortion of reality” as “terrorists attack all who reject their murderous ideology – Muslims, Christians and people of no faith”.

While some kidnappings are carried out by Islamist militant groups, many are carried out by criminal gangs seeking ransom, underscoring the country’s serious security crisis.