Hundreds gathered outside the Nigerian embassy in Madrid on Saturday to show solidarity with Christians targeted in recent attacks and kidnappings in Nigeria. The demonstration follows the abduction of over 250 children from a Catholic school in northern Nigeria last week.
Christiana Wariboko, president of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, urged international aid organizations and governments to intervene, stressing the need for action against the killings and abductions of Nigerian Christians.
The protest comes amid a surge in attacks, including a separate mass kidnapping at a predominantly Muslim school in Kebbi, where 30 students were abducted before being released. Security experts attribute these attacks largely to ransom-seeking groups exploiting poorly secured schools.
The Nigerian government maintains that the situation is complex and denies targeting of Christians specifically, highlighting measures such as last week’s state of emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu to strengthen security. Since 2014, at least 1,799 students have been kidnapped in Nigeria, many of whom have never been rescued.
