The remaining 130 students and teachers abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, have regained their freedom.
A security official familiar with the rescue operation told newsmen that the latest release accounts for all the remaining victims taken during the attack on the school on 21 November.
Sunday Dare, Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication and spokesperson to President Bola Tinubu, confirmed on X that 130 pupils have regained their freedom.
“Another 130 abducted Niger State pupils released. None left in captivity,” he wrote on Sunday.
The victims were abducted after gunmen attacked the boarding school on motorcycles at about 2:00 a.m., moving from one dormitory to another before marching their captives into nearby forests.
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Days after the attack, the Christian Association of Nigeria disclosed that 50 of the children had escaped during the raid, while scores of others were taken away.
In response, the Federal Government imposed a security cordon around border communities.
The FG deployed ground troops and aerial surveillance across parts of Niger, Kebbi, and Kwara states to track the kidnappers.
He also cancelled an official trip to personally oversee rescue efforts, while authorities ordered the temporary closure of schools across Niger State and some federal institutions in high-risk areas.
On 8 December, security agencies had secured the release of about 100 abductees, leaving an unspecified number still in captivity until the latest breakthrough.
The release of 130 more victims brings the total number of rescued students and teachers to 230.
