FG secures release of 100 abducted Catholic schoolchildren in Niger, others still in bandits den

The Federal Government has reportedly secured the release of at least 100 pupils abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, marking a major breakthrough in one of the country’s largest school abductions in recent years.

Bandits had stormed the remote Catholic mission school on November 21, 2025, arriving around 2:00 a.m. on motorbikes.

Over the course of three terrifying hours, they overran the dormitories and whisked away 315 people, 303 children and 12 teachers.

Security forces, aided by community hunters, immediately launched a coordinated search across adjoining forests.

Within the first 24 hours, 50 pupils managed to escape and were reunited with their families, but 265 individuals, including 253 children, remained in captivity.

The scale of the abduction triggered a nationwide outcry and a sweeping federal response.

President Bola Tinubu cancelled his scheduled foreign engagements to oversee the rescue operations.

A 24-hour security cordon was imposed, aerial surveillance deployed across parts of Niger, Kwara and Kebbi States, and all schools in Niger State, along with federal institutions in high-risk zones, were ordered shut indefinitely.

Last week, National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu visited the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, and parents of the abducted pupils, assuring them that the government’s efforts were yielding progress.

“God is with them and God is with us. Evil will never win. They are going to come back. I give you that assurance,” Ribadu told the parents at St. Michael’s Catholic Cathedral, Kontagora.

With the confirmed release of 100 of the hostages, government sources say rescue operations remain active, and efforts are ongoing to secure the freedom of the remaining children and teachers still held by the abductors.

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