The Federal Government has secured the release of 100 schoolchildren abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State.
The attack occurred on 21 November 2025 when bandits invaded the remote community around 2 a.m., riding on motorbikes and moving through the school dormitories for more than three hours.
During the operation, they abducted 315 people made up of 303 students and 12 teachers.
Security forces and community hunters were immediately deployed to comb adjoining forests in search of the abductees. Within the first day, 50 children escaped and were reunited with their families.
Despite that early breakthrough, 265 individuals, including 253 children and all 12 teachers, remained in captivity in the days that followed.
In response, the Federal Government imposed a 24 hour security cordon around the affected axis and activated aerial surveillance across parts of Kwara, Kebbi and Niger States.
President Bola Tinubu also cancelled his international travel plans to attend to the crisis. Authorities then directed an indefinite closure of all schools in Niger State, along with many federal institutions located in high risk zones.
Last Monday, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, visited the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese and Proprietor of the school, Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, as well as parents of the abducted children at St. Michael’s Catholic Cathedral, Kontagora.
During the visit, Ribadu reassured them that the pupils “are doing fine and will return soon,” conveying Tinubu’s message that efforts were advancing and security deployment had been strengthened.
He told them, “God is with them and God is with us. Evil will never win. They are going to come back. I give you that assurance.”
The release of 100 pupils marks the first confirmed recovery since the mass abduction. Security operations continue in the forests surrounding the Niger, Kebbi and Kwara borders to locate the remaining abducted children and teachers.
More updates are expected from the authorities as the rescue efforts progress.
