One hundred schoolchildren kidnapped from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, have regained freedom following intensified intervention by the Federal Government.
The children were part of the 315 persons seized on 21 November 2025 when armed bandits stormed the remote school community around 2:00 a.m., operating unhindered for nearly three hours. The attackers abducted 303 students and 12 teachers, prompting a massive security response.
In the first 24 hours after the attack, 50 pupils escaped and were reunited with their families. But 265 victims, including 253 children and all 12 teachers, remained in the custody of their captors.
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 to oversee the rescue operations personally. 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.
With 100 children now free, attention shifts to the fate of the remaining captives as security agencies continue coordinated operations to secure their release.
Further updates from authorities are expected soon.
100 Abducted Niger Schoolchildren Regain Freedom as FG Intensifies Rescue Push
