ABUJA / MINNA / BIRNIN KEBBI – Nov. 25, 2025
The United States has called on Nigeria to swiftly arrest and prosecute those behind the mass abductions of schoolchildren in Niger and Kebbi states, as both countries agreed to set up a joint working group to boost counterterrorism cooperation.
In a statement posted on X by the US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, Washington condemned the kidnapping of “reportedly over 300 students and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State” and the earlier abduction of 25 schoolgirls from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State.
“Those responsible for these crimes must be swiftly captured and held accountable,” the statement said, adding that “the Nigerian government must act decisively and do more to protect Christians and ensure Nigerians can live, learn and practice their religion freely without fear or terror.”
Gunmen killed the vice principal and seized at least 25 girls during the pre-dawn attack on the Kebbi school on 17 November. Four days later, armed men raided St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, abducting 303 students and 12 teachers, according to updated figures from the Christian Association of Nigeria. About 50 students escaped during the early stages of the Niger kidnapping.
The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora has now published a detailed list showing that of 265 people still missing from St. Mary’s, 239 are nursery and primary pupils, 14 are secondary students and 12 are staff. Negotiators say the kidnappers have yet to make contact, leaving families in agony.
Against this backdrop, the Presidency announced that Nigeria and the US have agreed to establish a Joint Working Group after high-level meetings in Washington led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. The framework includes enhanced intelligence sharing, expedited processing of defence equipment requests, and possible access to excess US defence articles, alongside humanitarian and early-warning support for violence-hit communities.
The Nigerian delegation also “refuted allegations of genocide” and argued that violence cuts across religious and ethnic lines, presidential aide Bayo Onanuga said.
Rights groups and labour leaders warn that the stakes go beyond diplomacy. Amnesty International Nigeria said the mounting school kidnappings risk “robbing an entire generation” of education in the north, with fear and trauma likely to drive thousands out of classrooms.
In Niger State, the Nigeria Labour Congress called the Papiri attack a “barbaric assault on the future of our nation” and urged security agencies to launch coordinated rescue operations and bring perpetrators to justice, while churches in Kwara relived their own ordeal after 38 worshippers abducted from a Christ Apostolic Church service were freed at the weekend.
As search operations continue in forests across Niger and Kebbi, parents wait for word from Abuja and Washington alike — hoping high-level promises will translate into the safe return of their children
