Amnesty International has condemned the mass abduction of more than 52 schoolgirls from St. Mary’s Private (Catholic) Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, describing the incident as another glaring failure of Nigerian authorities to protect citizens from armed groups.
The attack, which occurred early Friday, comes just three days after more than 25 schoolgirls were kidnapped from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State — marking yet another escalation in targeted assaults on educational institutions in northern Nigeria.
In a statement, Amnesty International said the repeated abductions highlight the government’s persistent inability to curb widespread insecurity. The organisation noted that armed groups have killed and abducted thousands of Nigerians in the past decade, with girls in rural schools increasingly becoming soft targets.
“This is a shocking indication of the authorities’ persistent failure to protect people from attacks by armed groups,” Amnesty International said. “Whatever security measures put in place by the government of President Bola Tinubu are not working.”
The rights group called for urgent and concrete action to ensure the safe return of the abducted students and to strengthen protection mechanisms for schools and vulnerable communities.
