The Federal Government has reportedly secured the release of 100 schoolchildren abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State. This significant development comes two weeks after armed men attacked the school on November 21, seizing a total of 315 people, comprising 303 students and 12 teachers. Following this partial release, approximately 165 individuals, specifically 153 pupils and all 12 teachers, regrettably remain in captivity.

While the release has been widely reported by various media outlets, including Channels Television, AFP, and France 24, comprehensive details are still emerging, and the federal government has yet to issue an official statement. Local authorities and school officials, including the proprietor of St. Mary’s Catholic Schools, Rt. Rev. Dr. Bulus Dauwa Yahana, and the Niger State Police Command spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, indicated they had not received official confirmation as of Sunday evening. Despite the lack of official briefing, the church has expressed cautious optimism, with a spokesman for Bishop Dauwa Yohanna conveying happiness over the development and urging the government to ensure the safe return of the remaining captives.

Sources indicate that the rescued pupils are currently undergoing medical evaluation and will be debriefed before being reunited with their anxious families. Local sources in Niger State described a substantial convoy of about 40 Hilux vehicles observed moving through New Bussa towards Wawa in Borgu Local Government Area on Sunday evening. The abducted children were reportedly brought out of a forest located within game reserves between New Bussa and Wawa, where they were handed over to a senior security/intelligence official leading the operation. They were subsequently transported to the Air Force base in Wawa. Crucially, it remains unclear whether any ransom was paid for their release.

The initial abduction, which occurred around 2:00 a.m. on November 21, involved armed men on motorbikes invading the school and operating for nearly three hours. They moved systematically from dormitory to dormitory before herding their captives into nearby forests. Within the first 24 hours of the attack, approximately 50 pupils either managed to escape or fled during the initial chaos. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) initially stated these 50 escaped from captivity, but a BBC Pidgin team later reported they had fled independently during the attack itself. Parents spoke of young children, some as young as six, being among those taken.

In response to this mass abduction, the Federal Government swiftly imposed a security cordon around affected border communities and deployed both ground troops and aerial surveillance across parts of Niger, Kebbi, and Kwara States. President Bola Tinubu reportedly cancelled official travel to personally coordinate rescue efforts, and authorities ordered the temporary shutdown of all schools in Niger State, as well as several federal institutions located in high-risk areas. Security operations had reportedly intensified across the affected states over the past week, with crucial support from community hunters combing the forests.

This incident is unfortunately part of a broader, escalating pattern of insecurity plaguing the region. The attack in Niger State occurred closely after other violent events, including the abduction of 25 students from a girls’ secondary school in Kebbi, the kidnapping of worshippers from a church in Kwara, and the tragic killing of senior army officer General Sani Uba by suspected ISWAP fighters. More recently, in Niger State alone, 24 farmers were abducted in Palaita community, and a visually impaired resident in nearby Kakuru was assaulted, having his right hand severed by armed men. Police authorities have confirmed that extensive rescue operations for the remaining victims are actively ongoing.