Gunmen in Nigeria have carried out a devastating mass abduction at a Catholic school in the country’s northwest, seizing at least 227 students and teachers. The attack, which occurred at St. Mary’s School in Niger state, is one of the largest school kidnappings since 2014 and the second major school abduction in the region this week. According to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the victims include approximately 215 pupils and students, alongside 12 teachers. Security forces have been deployed to the area, though the school reportedly reopened against government instructions that advised boarding schools to close due to a heightened threat of attacks. This latest incident underscores the severe and ongoing security crisis plaguing Nigeria’s northern regions, where armed gangs often target schools for large-scale ransoms