Whether they were freed by bandits or rescued by the military, 100 schoolchildren kidnapped from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State have got respite.
Those now free are among the 315 persons (303 children and 12 teachers) seized on 21 November 2025 when armed bandits stormed the remote school community around 2:00 a.m., operating unhindered for nearly three hours. 50 of the children had earlier been reunited with their families, despite the confusion on whether they were captured at all.
However, 265 victims, including 253 children and all 12 teachers are still in captivity.
To contain the crisis, the Federal Government enforced a 24-hour security lockdown across the area and launched wide-ranging aerial surveillance covering parts of Niger, Kwara, and Kebbi States.
President Bola Tinubu also cancelled a scheduled international trip for the purpose of rescue operations. All schools in Niger State—and several federal institutions in other high-risk regions—were ordered shut indefinitely.
Last week, National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu visited Kontagora to meet the Catholic Bishop of the Diocese, Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, and distraught parents of the abducted children. Ribadu assured them that the pupils were in stable condition and would soon be returned safely.
“God is with them and God is with us. Evil will never win. They are going to come back. I give you that assurance,” he stated during the visit.
The fate of remaining captives still hangs in the balance even as security agencies continue coordinated operations to secure their release.
Additional reports from National Update