Particle.news
Download on the App Store

More Than 80 Children Missing After School Raids Across Nigeria

Officials call the cross‑region abductions a sign of resurgent school targeting by armed groups.

Overview

  • Coordinated attacks on schools, which struck Friday in Borno and Oyo states, left more than 80 children unaccounted for, according to local officials and Amnesty International.
  • In Borno’s Mussa village near the Sambisa Forest, Senator Ali Ndume said 42 children were missing, with 32 taken from the school and 10 seized from nearby homes.
  • In Oyo State’s Oriire area, rights groups and police reported 40 to 48 pupils abducted from multiple schools, and officers detained three suspects identified by residents.
  • Witnesses in Mussa said the gunmen arrived on motorcycles minutes after an army patrol left, in a pattern long associated with Boko Haram tactics, though no group has claimed responsibility.
  • Security forces have launched search-and-rescue operations as families wait for news, and rights advocates warn fear of further raids is pushing children out of school across affected communities.