Nigeria has been hit by yet another large-scale kidnapping, with more than 200 children being kidnapped from a Catholic boarding school in Niger state during the early hours of Friday. The abduction adds to a growing list of violent incidents that have unfolded across several regions of the country this week.

The latest incident happened at St Mary’s School in the town of Papiri, Niger state. Residents were asleep when the gunmen arrived around 2 am and abducted students from their hostel. According to the Christian Association of Nigeria, 215 pupils and 12 members of staff were abducted.

Niger state authorities said that they had instructed all boarding schools to remain shut because of intelligence warnings and claimed that St Mary School ignored the order. Officials said the school resumed activities without notifying the government, placing students at unnecessary risk. The school has not publicly responded to the claim.

One resident, Dominic Adamu, said the entire community felt weak. His own daughters were not among those kidnapped.

Another woman broke down while explaining that her nieces, aged six and 13, had been kidnapped.

Friday’s abduction comes only days after more than 20 girls were abducted from a boarding school in neighbouring Kebbi state. A separate attack on a church in Kwara state left two people dead and 38 worshippers kidnapped and local reports say the attackers have demanded ransom.