Suspected bandits have abducted 14 students of an Islamic school, together with their teacher, while the group was working on a farm in Tungan-Bako village, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State. The Niger State Police Command confirmed the abduction on Monday and said joint security teams had started a rescue operation.
The latest kidnapping adds to growing worry about insecurity in the North-central state. It also comes as opposition politicians step up criticism of the state government ahead of the 2027 elections.
What happened in Tungan-Bako
According to the police, the attack happened at about 12:30pm on Saturday, October 31. The students, who attend an Islamiyya (Qur’anic) school, were helping their Mallam harvest maize on his farm when armed men stormed the area.
The command’s spokesman, Wasiu Abiodun, said in a statement reported by The Punch that suspected bandits entered Tungan-Bako through Rafi LGA and took away people working on the farm. The teacher was among those abducted, according to Legit.ng and News Central.
The police have not given the ages of the students, the name of the school or the teacher’s name. No group has claimed responsibility, and there has been no public report of a ransom demand.
Police dismiss report of 50 victims
Earlier reports on Monday had put the number of abducted students at 50. Abiodun rejected that figure, saying the confirmed number of students taken was 14.
He said joint security teams had begun efforts to rescue the victims. “Further developments will be communicated,” he said.
Conflicting casualty and abduction figures are common in the first hours after attacks in remote rural communities, where phone networks are weak and residents often flee. Flashinfong is reporting the police figure, which matches the accounts carried by several outlets.
Opposition blames Governor Bago
The abduction quickly took on a political edge. A spokesman for the governorship campaign of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Jonathan Vatsa, blamed Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago’s administration for failing to protect residents.
According to News Central and Legit.ng, the SDP said security agencies in the state lack operational vehicles and other equipment needed to confront armed groups. The party also accused the governor of paying more attention to the 2027 election than to the safety of people in rural communities, and said the government responds mainly with condemnations and condolence messages.
The state government had not publicly responded to the SDP’s claims at the time of writing.
A troubled area with a history of school kidnappings
Rafi LGA is not new to such attacks. In May 2021, gunmen stormed an Islamiyya school in Tegina, also in Rafi, and seized more than 130 pupils. Most of them were released about three months later after a long ordeal that drew national attention.
Niger State, Nigeria’s largest state by land area, borders Kaduna, Zamfara and Kebbi and has large forests that armed groups use as hideouts. In November 2025, gunmen abducted hundreds of pupils and staff from St Mary’s Catholic school in Papiri, Agwara LGA, one of the biggest school kidnappings in the country in recent years. Those victims were later freed.
Farming communities have been especially exposed. Many farmers in parts of Niger, Kaduna and Zamfara say they now pay levies to bandits or abandon their fields, which worsens food insecurity at a time when food prices remain high.
What happens next
The immediate focus is on the rescue operation. Families of the victims will be waiting for news from the police and the military, and security analysts will be watching whether the abductors make contact with the community.
The incident is also likely to feature in the 2027 governorship race in Niger State, where insecurity is shaping up as a major campaign issue. Flashinfong will update this story as more information becomes available.
Sources: The Punch, Legit.ng, News Central TV.
