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315 pupils and staff thought to have been taken on FridayAttack is one of worst mass kidnappings in NigeriaMore than 300 children and staff are thought to have been abducted from a Catholic school in Nigeria this week, one of the worst mass kidnappings ever recorded there. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said Saturday it had raised its estimate of those taken from St Mary's School in Niger state on Friday to 315 from an earlier estimate of 227 following a "verification exercise". "This now makes it 303 students (and) ... 12 teachers, bringing the total number of abducted persons to 315," it said in a statement, adding the new figure included 88 students who had been captured as they tried to escape.The kidnapping comes amid a surge of attacks by armed groups and insurgents in Nigeria, which has been under heightened scrutiny since US President Donald Trump threatened military action this month over the treatment of Christians.If confirmed, the revised number of people taken at the school would exceed the 276 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram militants in Chibok in 2014. The Niger state government said on Friday the school had ignored an instruction that boarding schools should be closed because of intelligence indicating a high chance of attacks.But Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, the CAN chairman in Niger, said no such warning had been issued after travelling to the school on Friday night. "We are working with the government and security agencies to see that our children are rescued and brought back safely," he said in the CAN statement. The central government has ordered nearly 50 federal colleges to close and public schools in some states have also been shut.Friday's mass kidnapping was the third such incident in Nigeria this week alone. On Monday, 25 schoolgirls were taken from a boarding school in Kebbi state, while on Wednesday 38 worshippers were taken by gunmen in an attack on a church in Kwara state.A senior US State Department official said on Thursday the US was considering actions such as sanctions and Pentagon engagement on counterterrorism as part of a plan to compel the Nigerian government to better protect Christian communities and religious freedom. Nigeria says claims that Christians face persecution misrepresent a complex security situation and do not take into account efforts to safeguard religious freedom.

Nicki Minaj calls for global action on religious freedomAttack adds pressure on Nigerian government amid US scrutinyKwara governor requests more security after church attackGunmen have attacked a church in Nigeria, killing at least two people and kidnapping the pastor and some worshippers, police and witnesses said Wednesday, days after 25 girls were abducted from a boarding school.The attack on Tuesday evening in Eruku, a town in central Nigeria's Kwara state, puts more pressure on the government, which is under scrutiny from US President Donald Trump who has threatened military action over what he says is persecution of Christians.President Bola Tinubu postponed a planned trip to South Africa and Angola for G20 and AU-EU summits to receive security briefings on the two attacks, and ordered more security to hunt down the assailants in Kwara, his office said.The president also directed the security agencies "to do everything possible" to rescue the schoolgirls, "abducted by the bandits and bring the girls back home safe", his spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said. Rapper Nicki Minaj appealed on Tuesday for global action to defend religious freedom. Speaking at the US mission to the UN, the Trinidad-born artist, who lives in New York, said that in Nigeria "Christians are being targeted, driven from their homes and killed".Nigeria is grappling with an insurgency in the northeast, abductions and killings by armed gangs mainly in the northwest and deadly clashes between mainly herdsmen and mostly farmers in its central belt. The government says the US designation of Nigeria as "a country of particular concern" misrepresents its complex security challenges and does not take into account its efforts to safeguard freedom of religion for all.In the latest attack, police responded to gunfire at around 6pm on Tuesday and discovered one person fatally shot inside the church and another in a nearby bush, said Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, police spokesperson for Kwara state. Witnesses said they counted at least three dead church members. "They later rounded up some worshippers, including the pastor, and took them into the bush," parishioner Joseph Bitrus told Reuters by phone, without saying how many were taken.A video posted by a local news outlet and verified by Reuters showed the Christ Apostolic Church service being interrupted by gunfire, forcing parishioners to take cover. Armed men are seen entering and taking people's belongings as gunshots continue.The governor of Kwara asked for the immediate deployment of more security operatives following the church attack, his spokesperson said. Authorities have not yet located the girls abducted by armed men who stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in northwestern Kebbi state on Monday. Vice President Kashim Shettima was expected to travel to the state to meet officials and parents.

The opening of a contested museum in Nigeria, meant to display west African art, has been postponed after protesters disrupted a private visit Sunday, officials said.The Museum of West African Arts (Mowaa) had been due to officially open Tuesday, but this will now be postponed indefinitely, officials said.Mowaa was launched five years ago by Nigerian businessman Phillip Ihenacho in Benin City, Edo State, with the support of its former governor.It's due to house exhibition spaces and archives and aims to host residencies for west African artists and craftspeople, and Sunday was holding a pre-opening event for donors and industry professionals.But around 20 men, some armed with wooden bats, stormed into the museum courtyard, forcing guests to take refuge inside.The group, whose demands were not clear, caused minor damage in the museum courtyard, AFP reporters saw."Protesters entered and began vandalising part of the reception pavilion, where we receive visitors, then they stormed inside the front section, where the exhibition area is located," Ihenacho said.After around two hours, guests were escorted away in buses to a nearby hotel.The museum has sparked tensions between the former state governor and his successor, an ally of the city's traditional ruler, Oba Ewuare II, who says he should be in charge of the museum.Benin for years has been trying to recover artefacts seized during the colonial era, in particular the "Benin Bronzes" looted more than 120 years ago.Most of the ornate bronzes were seized by British soldiers in a retaliatory raid on Benin, and then auctioned off or sold to museums across Europe and the United States.Ihenacho said he believed the protesters were "representatives from the palace" of Oba Ewuare II. "We have never pretended to be anything other than the Museum of West African Art," Ihenacho added.

Qatar Charity in co-operation with Nigeria’s Katsina State Government, has implemented a variety of income-generating projects, economically empowering 160 individuals, including women, orphans, and vulnerable groups.The initiative aims to restore dignity, create opportunities, and enable beneficiaries to achieve economic independence. The implementation of these projects coincides with the upcoming Second World Summit for Social Development, scheduled to take place in Doha from November 4 to 6. The summit aims to reaffirm global commitment to social development, address existing gaps, accelerate efforts to eradicate poverty, promote full employment and decent work, and achieve social inclusion.The income-generating projects included the distribution of 100 sewing machines, 20 passenger tricycles, 20 cargo tricycles, and 20 grinding machines, benefiting individuals from across the state.Beneficiaries were nominated by the state government and verified by Qatar Charity using a rigorous process that prioritised vulnerability, business skills, and readiness. Speaking at the ceremony, Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, described the initiative as more than material support, emphasising its role in restoring dignity and creating opportunities for vulnerable citizens. He urged beneficiaries to use the items wisely to start small businesses, generate income, support their families, and improve their livelihoods through hard work and discipline.“The empowerment items are more than material support – they are tools for transformation and steps toward economic independence,” governor Radda stated. Governor Radda acknowledged Qatar Charity Nigeria’s critical role in humanitarian work across Katsina State and Nigeria. “Your work is planting seeds of change, and we are deeply grateful,” he said, pledging to expand such initiatives to empower every orphan, widow, and vulnerable person in the state.Assem Abu al-Shaer, country director of Qatar Charity’s Nigeria office, emphasised the transformative impact of the empowerment items, noting that each piece of equipment will help beneficiaries generate income and create opportunities for others.

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation met Monday with Nigeria's First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.During the meeting, the two parties discussed ways to enhance existing partnerships between EAA and Nigeria, to reduce the number of out-of-school children, and empower the youth through employment and training opportunities.

Gunmen attacked a village in Zamfara State, northwestern Nigeria, killing a man, wounding his wife, and kidnapping 18 people, all women and children.Residents said the attackers belonged to gangs known for kidnapping and cattle-rustling, and stormed Birnin Zarma village early in the morning as residents were preparing for dawn prayers."The bandits attacked the village around 5 a.m. while people were preparing for morning prayers," Birnin Zarma resident Ibrahim Bello said. "They broke into a house and shot dead a man and injured his wife before herding 18 women and children out of the village."Lawal Umar, a resident of the neighboring town of Bukkuyum, said the attackers were believed to be from the neighboring Anka district, where they maintain camps in a nearby forest.He added that forces stationed in Bukkuyum were unable to repel the attack due to the flooding of a river separating the town from the village of Birnin Zarma, which prevented the timely arrival of security reinforcements.Birnin Zarma is located about 170 km from the state capital, Gusau, and residents are still waiting for a ransom demand from the kidnappers for the release of the hostages.For years, the states of northwestern and central Nigeria, particularly Zamfara, have witnessed a wave of violence perpetrated by armed gangs known locally as "bandits," who have recently intensified their attacks on rural villages.