Terrorists rode into the remote Papiri community around 2:00 a.m. and spent about three hours moving through the school dormitories. A total of 315 people were reportedly taken, that is 303 students and 12 teachers.

Security personnel and local hunters launched a search operation across the surrounding forests to track down the gunmen. Within the first 24 hours, 50 students successfully fled from their abductors and were safely reunited with their families.

Despite this, 265 others, comprising 253 children, and 12 teachers were held by the gunmen.

The ICIR reported how the children’s family and the entire Papiri community have been in tears over the incident.

The attack underscored the continuing decline in security across Nigeria.

A similar attack and abduction of schoolchildren was carried out by terrorists on Maga Comprehensive Girls’ Secondary School in Kebbi State, where about 25 female students were whisked away and a staff member was killed. A guard was also injured during the early-morning assault.

Within the same period, terrorists abducted several other Nigerians, including dozens of worshippers whisked away by terrorists from Eruku town in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State on Tuesday, November 18.

Following the persistent attacks and palpable fear enveloping the nation, Tinubu implemented wide-ranging changes to the nation’s security architecture, including the resignation of the Minister of Defence, Mohammadu Badaru, and appointment of immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, as a new Defence Minister.

The president withdrew police officers from VIPs to enable them to face core policing duties. He also ordered the recruitment of more officers into the nation’s security forces and the police.