In a distressing incident at St. Mary’s School, a Catholic establishment in Nigeria, gunmen have abducted a total of 303 children along with 12 teachers. The initial reports from the scene suggested a lesser number, with estimates starting at 52 kidnapped individuals. However, a subsequent evaluation increased the count to over 200 children, eventually settling on the alarming figure of 303.

According to Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Niger state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the final number was confirmed following a thorough verification process and census. Yohanna shared these updates with The Associated Press after visiting the school last Friday. The kidnapped students, both male and female, range in age from 10 to 18, as reported by the AP.

Images released by the Christian Association of Nigeria depict a man navigating through the scattered belongings at St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School, located in the Papiri community, in the aftermath of the abduction, which took place on November 21, 2025.

As of now, no organization has claimed responsibility for this heinous act. Authorities, as cited by the AP, have confirmed that tactical squads and local hunters are actively involved in efforts to rescue the abducted children.

Following the attack, the state government announced the reopening of St. Mary’s School despite heightened security warnings. However, this assertion has been refuted by Yohanna, as noted in reports by the AP.

“We did not receive any circular. It must be an afterthought and a way to shift blame,” he said, according to the AP.

This photo released by the Christian Association of Nigeria shows the dormitories of St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School after gunmen abducted children and staff in Papiri community in Nigeria on Nov. 21, 2025. (Christian Association of Nigeria via AP)

The attack at St. Mary’s follows a similar incident earlier this week in which armed attackers kidnapped 25 girls from a boarding school in Nigeria’s Kebbi State and killed at least one staffer. The search for the abducted schoolgirls is still underway.

A woman looks on as she walks past a classroom in Shehu Kangiwa Model Primary School in Argungu, Kebbi State, in northern Nigeria on April 12, 2025. (Leslie Fauvel / AFP via Getty Images)

Nigeria has seen a series of attacks on Christians and their institutions, prompting President Donald Trump to declare the West African nation a “country of particular concern.” However, the Nigerian government has disputed the U.S.’s claims.

On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz held an event highlighting the ongoing violence in Nigeria. During the event, Waltz called the killings of Christians in Nigeria “genocide wearing the mask of chaos.” He was joined by rap superstar Nicki Minaj, who called for religious freedom for all.