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damascus, syria/" class="auto-internal-link">syria (North Press) – The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) declared on Friday that at least 227 students and teachers were kidnapped from a Catholic school in northwestern Nigeria. In an official statement, the association stated that more than 200 students and 12 teachers were abducted during an armed attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School.
Daniel Atori, representative for the CAN, stated that gunmen stormed St. Mary’s School in Agwara local administration’s Papiri community, kidnapping 215 pupils and students along with 12 teachers. “I just got back to the village tonight after I visited the school where I also met with parents,” said Atori in a statement, adding the association is working “to ensure our children’s safe return. Moreover, ” For its part, the Niger State Police Command verified that the abduction occurred in the early morning hours, noting that armed forces and security troops have since been deployed in the community.
Authorities stated that St. Mary’s School is a secondary school that serves children aged 12 to 17. For its part, the Amnesty International criticized Nigerian authorities for failing to keep children safe in northern states, saying that the emerging kidnappings show the administration is still unable to stop repeated attacks on schools, which have already forced hundreds of them to shut down and disrupted the education of thousands of children across states such as Katsina and Plateau.
Reporting by Abdulsalam Khoja Editing by Jwan Shekaki