Armed gangs abduct pupils from Catholic school in central Nigeria

Empty bunk beds and scattered belongings inside a student dormitory at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwarra local government, Niger state. [AFP]

An unknown number of pupils have been abducted from a Catholic school in central Nigeria by armed gangs, police and a government official said Friday, in the second such incident in less than a week.

The school kidnappings and an attack on a church earlier this week come weeks after US President Donald Trump threatened military action over what he described as the targeted killings of Nigeria's Christians, a narrative rejected by the Nigerian government.

"The Niger State government has received with deep sadness the disturbing news of the kidnapping of pupils from St. Mary's School in Agwara local government area," Abubakar Usman, the state government secretary, said in a statement.

"The exact number of abducted pupils is yet to be confirmed as security agencies continue to assess the situation".

The attack comes just days after gunmen stormed a secondary school in Kebbi state in northwestern Nigeria, abducting 25 schoolgirls early Monday morning. One escaped and 24 are still missing.

Niger state police said its tactical units and the military have been deployed to search for the pupils.

Police received a report at about 2:00 am (0100 GMT), that "some armed bandits invaded St. Mary's Private (Catholic) Secondary School... and abducted a yet to be ascertained number of students from the school's hostel," the force said in a statement.

It said security agencies were "combing the forests with a view to rescue the abducted students".

Nigerian security forces have been placed on high alert this week as the country faces an uncomfortable spotlight on its security situation.

In a separate attack on a church in western Nigeria on Tuesday, gunmen killed two people during a service that was recorded and broadcast online. Dozens of worshippers are believed to have been abducted.