Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese and Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State, has confirmed that there has been no communication from the abductors responsible for the kidnapping of pupils and teachers from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area. Speaking with Channels Television on Friday, Bishop Yohanna stated, “So far, we have not had any contact with them. As I’m speaking now, we’ve not had any call regarding the abductors.”

The tragic incident unfolded in the early hours of November 21, when armed gunmen stormed the school premises. During their assault, the gunmen reportedly shot a security guard before proceeding to abduct numerous pupils, students, and teachers. Initial reports following the attack indicated that 215 pupils and 12 teachers were missing. However, a subsequent verification exercise, conducted collaboratively by security operatives, community leaders, and diocesan officials, led to a revision of the total number of abducted persons to 315. This revised figure comprises 303 pupils and 12 teachers. Fortunately, 50 pupils have since managed to escape from their captors and have been successfully reunited with their families, leaving a total of 265 individuals still unaccounted for.

Bishop Yohanna provided further details regarding the assailants’ attempts to breach the convent area of the school, which ultimately proved unsuccessful. He recounted, “I think the first attempt was to see if they could break through where the sisters are living. That didn’t happen. They were not able to break the place because when they came to the gate, they were asking, ‘Where are the sisters living?’ The gateman said, ‘Well, they work here, but they don’t live here.’ So they shot him and then forced the gate open.” After gaining entry, the gunmen attempted to force open gates separating the convent from the main school building before gaining access to the dormitories where they carried out the abductions. “They shot into the air, and everyone was scared. So many of them tried to escape, or many escaped into the bushes around. At the end of the day, they were able to make their way with some of them, and we don’t know the exact number of pupils, students, and teachers taken away,” Yohanna added, reflecting the initial confusion surrounding the exact number of victims.

Addressing claims that the school had received prior warnings of an impending attack, the bishop clarified the situation. He explained, “Well, what I do know is that in 2021/2022, we had rumours that the school would be attacked. So what we did was to shut down the school immediately. We reinforced the security system there, relocated students who were to write their final exams to Kontagora, and built the security fence. Since then, we have not had anything—no verbal warning, no written warning—until this incident happened.” This indicates that while past threats led to proactive security measures, there were no recent specific warnings before the November 21 attack.

Bishop Yohanna also confirmed ongoing communication and collaboration with various security agencies. He mentioned, “The one I’ve been communicating with is the DSS in Kontagora, who has been calling me. Most of the information we have, especially the details, I’ve forwarded to him. The police at the DPO in Kontagora called to say that the sisters are to go and make a statement, which we have sent them, and they are going to give the details and the names of all those missing.” He expressed profound concern for the emotional well-being of the parents, stating, “Of course, they are traumatised and worried. We are praying and hoping that by the grace of God, their children will be released. Everyone is traumatised.”

The bishop underscored that while his diocese has undertaken significant steps to enhance security at their institutions, the broader issue of school safety across Niger State and Nigeria remains an urgent and critical concern that requires comprehensive attention and action.