St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri

Force in Play

Site of the November 21 mass abduction; dormitories abandoned and school closed indefinitely

In the early hours of November 21, 2025, armed men stormed St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, a remote community in Niger State, and abducted 315 people—303 pupils and 12 staff—in one of Nigeria’s largest school kidnappings since Chibok in 2014. Around 50 children later escaped and made their way home, but the mass abduction ignited national outrage, exposed deep security failures, and intensified scrutiny of Abuja as U.S. officials openly weighed sanctions and other measures to pressure Nigeria to better protect Christian communities and other civilians targeted in northern violence.

Updated Dec 11, 2025