Bago receives freed Niger schoolchildren as 165 others remain in captivity

The Government House in Minna was enveloped in relief, emotion and restrained celebration on Monday as Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago, formally received 100 pupils of St. Mary’s Catholic Private Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, who regained their freedom after two harrowing weeks in captivity.

Conveyed in several buses under heavy security escort, the children arrived at about 5:20 p.m., stepping into the warm embrace of anxious parents, senior government officials, and security operatives who had kept vigil since their abduction.

The pupils, alongside 12 teachers, were kidnapped on November 21 when armed bandits stormed their school in Papiri community, Munya Local Government Area, at about 2 a.m.

The attackers, who operated on motorbikes, initially whisked away 315 individuals, 303 students and 12 teachers, in an operation that lasted nearly three hours.

While 50 students managed to escape within the first 24 hours, 265 others remained in captivity until Sunday’s breakthrough, announced by the federal government after intensified military operations across Niger, Kwara and Kebbi states, supported by aerial surveillance and local hunters.

Despite the significant rescue, authorities confirmed that 153 students and all 12 teachers remain in captivity, heightening public concern and keeping security agencies under pressure to continue the search.

Speaking prior to the release of the 100 pupils, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu assured the nation that President Bola Tinubu had taken a personal interest in the matter, halting all engagements to monitor the rescue efforts.

“Mr President is in pain; he is in sorrow like all of us,” Ribadu said. “Enough is enough. We will not relent.”

“We are all under attack, but we must not allow bad people to divide us. The whole world is coming together to stop this evil that has tormented Nigeria for two decades.”

Governor Bago, while receiving the freed schoolchildren, commended the joint security operations and reaffirmed the state’s commitment to securing the remaining abductees.

Families of the victims expressed a mix of relief and anguish, thankful for those returned but restless until all abducted children and teachers are reunited with their homes.

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