While Nigerians slept, terrorists once again laid siege to a learning institution. This time,<a href="https://punchng.com/breaking-students-staff-feared-missing-after-terrorists-raid-on-niger-catholic-school/"> St Mary’s School</a>, which is a Catholic mission school in the Papiri community of Agwara Local Government Area, Niger State. The attack occurred in the early hours of Friday, November 21, only days after 25 schoolgirls were kidnapped from a government secondary school in Maga, Kebbi State.

Though the exact number of abductees remains uncertain, <a href="https://www.arise.tv/">credible</a> sources report that both students and staff are missing.

A press release from the Niger State Government by the secretary, Alh. Abubakar Usman, states that there were prior intelligence warnings on security threats to the Niger North Senatorial District. In response, a directive to close schools in the threatened zone was issued, but unfortunately, St Mary’s School violated that directive by reopening without clearance. It also adds official details about ongoing search-and-rescue operations.&nbsp;

In just one week, far too many families have been cruelly separated from their loved ones. And across the country, uncertainty is tightening its grip. In Kwara State alone, over 50 schools have been shut down as a security precaution after gunmen invaded a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/gunmen-attack-church-nigeria-killing-two-kidnapping-others-2025-11-19/">Christ Apostolic Church</a> in Eruku during service on Sunday, November 16. Nigerians everywhere are living in fear of what may happen next.

Each passing day seems to bring a new reminder that insecurity is no longer a distant headline; it is a lived reality of far too many citizens. What began years ago has now escalated into a full-blown national crisis, one worsened by a consistent lack of decisive government action. Civil unrest is fast becoming the norm, and with multiple sectors of the country collapsing simultaneously, the tension feels heavier than ever.

This week alone paints a grim picture. Resident doctors remain on strike, ASUU has threatened a nationwide <a href="https://punchng.com/fg-avert-looming-asuu-strike/?amp">indefinite strike</a> beginning today, Friday, November 21, 2025, and Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader <a href="https://youtu.be/xl6WRspYzcE?si=1epz13VQacNlwhzw">Nnamdi Kanu</a>—whose verdict was delivered yesterday—has been sentenced to life in prison. Together, these events point toward a looming nationwide paralysis, and the outlook is far from encouraging.

&nbsp;In the midst of growing outrage, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has<a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2025/11/20/nigerias-tinubu-delays-g20-trip-amid-search-for-24-abducted-schoolgirls"> postponed </a>his scheduled trip to South Africa for the 2025 G20 Summit. At the very least, the gesture suggests some acknowledgement of the distress Nigerians have been voicing loudly across social media, where many have criticised the government’s silence amid the chaos.

International scrutiny is also intensifying. Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial classification of Nigeria among <a href="https://www.state.gov/countries-of-particular-concern-special-watch-list-countries-entities-of-particular-concern">“countries of particular concern”</a>, top officials at the UN Security Council expressed renewed alarm over the rapid spread of terrorist networks across West Africa on Wednesday, November 19th. The U.S. Ambassador to the UN, <a href="https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/837084-un-security-council-discusses-insecurity-in-nigeria-other-west-african-countries.html">Mike Waltz</a>, specifically condemned what he called the “ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians” in northern Nigeria by terrorist groups and armed militias.

As Nigerians pray, lament, and search for hope in these perilous days, all eyes are firmly fixed on the government. The citizens are desperate for swift, wise, and decisive action to salvage not just the deepening insecurity at hand but also prevent a total shutdown of the nation.

As if the tragedies of the past week were not heavy enough for the nation to bear, in the early hours of this morning, a new group of female students were abducted, raising fresh concerns about the worsening insecurity in Nigeria.


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