Please pray for safe return of schoolchildren from 'Newry School' in Nigeria

TODAY we ask for your prayers for the safe return of 25 young schoolgirls kidnapped from a school in Northern Nigeria.

The abduction of the students from the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, in Nigeria’s northwestern state of Kebbi, has left many here in Newry in a state of shock and total despair.

Thanks mostly to the generosity of the people in Newry, and many others throughout the Country, the building of the facility and its upkeep brought a vital service to some 1,000 young students (boys and girls).

Under the guidance of Father Donall O'Cathain SMA the project has been a huge success.

This latest incident comes at a time of unrest in the Country.

A local source consulted by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) explained that the attack caught residents off-guard, at a moment when violence in the area had seemed to ease.

“Just when we thought there was a bit of a lull in the killings and abductions, the news of the abduction of around 25 girls – we’re not sure of the exact numbers yet – has come as a rude shock, throwing the community into grief.”

Children in Nigeria participating in One Million Children Praying the Rosary, 2024

The same source reported that “the bandits stormed the school at about 3 A.M. and operated for many hours without any resistance.”

“The vice principal of the school, Mallam Hassan Yakubu Makuku, was killed as he tried helplessly to protect his students,” the source added.

The community is overwhelmed by fear and uncertainty and is calling for immediate government action: “All families in the area are united in prayers and appealing to the government to do everything possible to rescue the children.”

The source also explained that the district of Danko/Wasagu, where the school is located, is one of the most religiously diverse enclaves in Kebbi. Several communities in the area are predominantly Christian, making it a rare Christian-majority zone within the Muslim-dominated northwest. For this reason, many of the abducted pupils are Christians, as was the murdered vice principal.

Although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the source warned of the growing professionalization of criminal gangs operating in the northwest. Early testimonies indicate that the attackers carried technically advanced weaponry — a sign of the increasing sophistication of organized crime in the region.

Maga is hard to reach, complicating the response of security forces. “The community is in a remote area between Sokoto and Kontagora Diocese,” the source explained.

Kebbi has previously seen attacks on educational institutions, a pattern repeated across northern states, and that has created a prolonged climate of insecurity. The source consulted by ACN lamented that the attack represents “a major blow to the education of young girls, which is already quite rare in these parts of the country.”

The incident recalls the traumatic mass kidnappings of Chibok in 2014 and Dapchi in 2018, tragedies whose effects still weigh heavily on the national consciousness, and have become emblematic of Nigeria’s deepening security crisis.Authorities for Niger state northern Nigeria don confirm say gunmen invade St Mary's School, wey be Catholic school for Papiri community for Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State and abduct unspecified number of students and staff Friday morning.

Posting on social media, Rowan Hand, who has worked tirelessly for many years in the development of the project said:

“Our Saint Mary's School , our "Newry School" in Northern Nigeria has been attacked by terrorists...

Reports of 25 children having been kidnapped..... Security Staff shot....

Father Donall O'Cathain SMA is the priest, the school builder and manager is safe...Donall is safe.

Dear friends

Never have prayers been so badly needed.....

We are facing a most serious situation.

Prayers as never before.

Thank you and God bless you all.