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A church was also attacked further south, in Kwara state, with two people killed and 38 abducted while the service was being broadcast online.<\/p>\n
President Bola Tinubu has postponed his foreign trips – including this weekend’s G20 summit in South Africa – in order to address these security issues.<\/p>\n
Police said armed men – locally known as bandits – stormed St Mary’s School on Friday at about 02:00 local time (01:00 GMT) and abducted students from their hostel.<\/p>\n
Fear and uncertainty have gripped the area as families wait for news.<\/p>\n
“Everybody is weak… it took everybody by surprise,” local resident Dominic Adamu told the BBC.<\/p>\n
Mr Adamu, whose daughters attend St Mary’s School but were not abducted, added: “People are complaining about the state of security in our country.”<\/p>\n
One distressed woman tearfully told the BBC that her nieces, aged six and 13 were kidnapped.<\/p>\n
“I just want them to come home,” she said.<\/p>\n
The authorities in Niger state said the school, attended by both girls and boys, had disregarded an order to close all boarding facilities following intelligence warnings of a heightened risk of attacks.<\/p>\n
“Regrettably, St Mary’s School proceeded to reopen and resume academic activities without notifying or seeking clearance from the state government, thereby exposing pupils and the staff to avoidable risk,” they said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The school has not commented on that claim.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n