Abuja: Nigeria is facing a growing crisis as mass school kidnappings continue to rise across the northern states, leaving families in grief and communities in fear. The latest attacks have pushed the number of abducted students and teachers to alarming levels, renewing calls for stronger security and urgent government action.

The country witnessed two major abductions in recent weeks. On November seventeen, armed men stormed Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga in Kebbi State and took twenty five schoolgirls. A staff member was killed during the attack.

Just days later, on November twenty one, gunmen raided St Marys Catholic School in Papiri in Niger State and abducted more than three hundred students and teachers. Around fifty students later escaped, but more than two hundred fifty students and a dozen teachers remain missing. Rescue teams are still searching the nearby forest areas where armed groups often hide.

These incidents add to a troubling pattern that has grown over the years. Since the Chibok abduction in 2014, when Boko Haram took two hundred seventy six girls from their school, Nigeria has seen repeated mass kidnappings across its northern belt. Security analysts estimate that more than one thousand seven hundred students have been taken in major attacks since then.

Officials say criminal gangs, widely known as bandits, are behind most of the recent attacks. They target schools because they are easy to access and because kidnapping for ransom has become a profitable activity. Large areas of the northwest and north central regions remain poorly secured, giving armed groups room to operate.

The federal government has deployed additional security forces to the affected states, and local communities are urging stronger protection for schools. Several states have temporarily closed schools in high risk zones to prevent further attacks.

Families of the abducted students say they are living in fear and uncertainty. Many are pleading with authorities to speed up rescue efforts and ensure safe returns.

With no claims of responsibility so far and no clear deadline from the kidnappers, the situation remains tense. The government is under growing pressure to improve security and prevent more tragedies in the future.