NIGERIA: Priest and schoolgirls abducted as extremists terrorise community

Credit: ACN

Source: ACN

A Catholic priest has been kidnapped and the brother of another priest killed in Kaduna Archdiocese, northern Nigeria. Armed assailants attacked the residence of Fr Bobbo Paschal, parish priest of St Stephen's Parish, in Ksuhe Gugdu, Kagarko in the early hours of 17 November. During the attack the brother of Fr Anthony Yero was killed and others were kidnapped.

Then, in the early hours of 18 November, a college's vice principal was killed as extremists abducted 25 schoolgirls from their dormitories in Nigeria's north-western Kebbi State. The students - most of whom were Christian - were taken from the Government Girls' Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga.

A local source told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the attack caught residents off guard. They said: "Just when we thought there was a bit of a lull in the killings and abductions, the news of the abduction of around 25 girls - we're not sure of the exact numbers yet - has come as a rude shock, throwing the community into grief."

School principal Musa Rabi Magaji has subsequently confirmed that 25 schoolgirls were kidnapped, and one student managed to escape. The source added: "The bandits stormed the school at about 3am and operated for many hours without any resistance. The vice principal of the school, Mallam Hassan Yakubu Makuku, was killed as he tried helplessly to protect his students."

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the source stressed that bandit gangs are becoming increasingly professional in the north-west. Early testimonies suggest attackers carried sophisticated weapons.

Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reports that Church authorities are urgently calling on people to join in prayer for the safety and swift release of all those abducted, and for the repose of the deceased.

Nigeria was placed in the "persecution" category of ACN's Religious Freedom in the World report 2025, indicating that it faces severe, systematic and ongoing religious freedom violations. Armed extremist organisations - such as Islamic State-West Africa Province (ISWAP) - continue to operate in the north-east. In the Middle Belt, attacks by militant members of the Fulani herder community have included the torching of churches and killing of worshippers.

On 31 October 2025, the US government announced the redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act. This decision follows mounting reports of escalating violence and the Nigerian government's continued inability to safeguard minorities, particularly Christian communities, from targeted attacks.