At least 100 pupils kidnapped from St Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara LGA of Niger State, have reportedly regained their freedom following a Federal Government-led rescue operation.
The school came under attack when armed bandits rode into the premises on motorbikes at around 2:00 a.m., abducting 315 people. The attackers moved from dormitory to dormitory over a three-hour period, eventually taking 303 students and 12 teachers into the forest.
Security agencies swiftly launched a coordinated search, assisted by local hunters familiar with the terrain. By the end of the first day, 50 pupils had escaped and returned home. However, 265—mainly children—remained missing.
Authorities declared a 24-hour security cordon across parts of Niger, Kwara and Kebbi States and deployed aerial surveillance in an attempt to track the kidnappers’ movements. The State Government also ordered the indefinite closure of all schools to prevent further attacks.
President Bola Tinubu suspended planned travel abroad to oversee the rescue mission. The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, later visited Kontagora to reassure parents that their children were still safe and would return soon.
During his meeting with Catholic Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna and anxious families, Ribadu stressed that progress was being made. “God is with them, and God is with us. Evil will never win,” he told them at St Michael’s Catholic Cathedral.
The reported release of 100 children has offered some relief amid the ongoing crisis, though hundreds of families are still waiting for news of their loved ones.
Efforts by security forces to rescue the remaining victims continue, with officials pledging that no resource will be spared in ensuring the safe return of every abducted child and teacher.
