Catholic bishops slam Nigeria for failing to rescue kidnapped schoolchildren

The Nigerian government has made “no meaningful efforts” to rescue the more than 250 children abducted from a Catholic boarding school in Niger’s central state on Friday, the region’s leading Catholic clergy told the BBC.

But Bishop Bruce Daua Johnner’s accusations were disputed by the state’s police chief, who accused the school of failing to cooperate with the search and rescue operation.

It is unclear who kidnapped the children from St. Mary’s School in Papiri village, but criminal gangs across Nigeria are involved in kidnapping for ransom.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene militarily in Nigeria if the government fails to stop the “killing of Christians”.

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, with large Christian and Muslim populations.

The government says people of all faiths and none are victims of insecurity in the country.

Radical Islamist groups are also waging an insurgency in Nigeria, and the government confirmed last week that a senior army general was killed by jihadists in an ambush in northeastern Borno state.

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegers holds talks with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu The U.S. War Department said in a statement that it discussed last week how to “make tangible progress in ending violence against Christians in Nigeria and countering jihadist terrorist groups in West Africa.”

Nigeria’s presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said the Ribadu delegation rejected accusations that the West African country suffered state-sanctioned religious persecution and said the security crisis was caused by crime, extremism and land-related conflicts.

Onanuga added that the two governments had agreed to establish a working group to focus on strengthening defense and security cooperation.

The Niger State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said 303 students and 12 staff members of Papiri village school were abducted, but 50 children managed to escape and be reunited with their families.

Bishop Johanna, president of CAN’s Niger chapter and a leader of the Catholic Church in the region, told the BBC that the only official action taken so far to rescue the students was to compile their names.

“I’m not aware of any effort being made by the administration other than to collect students’ names from us,” he said.

He rejected accusations made in local media by Niger state governor Omar Bago that churches ignored orders to close schools after receiving threats of attacks.

“We did not receive any orders at any time,” the bishop added.

Niger State Police Commissioner Adamu Abdullahi Elleman told the BBC that sufficient police officers had been deployed to Papiri, but no police were seen when the BBC visited the location, except for three officers at the school.

The BBC also traveled about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Yauri, the main connecting road to Papiri, but passed only one police checkpoint and none of the officers were armed.

However, the police chief insisted that members of tactical police teams and other security agencies be stationed in the community.

He said the police headquarters in Agwara town, not far from Papiri, had become a base of operations.

“So they moved from Agwara police station to the school. Maybe by the time you get there, they must have moved back to the headquarters,” the police chief told the BBC.

He stressed that the search for the children was continuing but said the school had not yet “reported” to his command.

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.

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.

“Let me be clear: I will not relent. Every Nigerian in every state has the right to security – and on my watch we will ensure the security of this country and protect our people,” Tinubu said.

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

Authorities in Lagos, Nigeria’s most populous state, said they were beefing up security at schools, places of worship and other important buildings to prevent attacks.

Additional reporting by Chris Ewokor and Agayomi Adisa