At least 130 more students and teachers abducted from St Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, have regained their freedom.
An official close to the rescue operation said that the latest release accounts for all victims still held following the attack on 21 November, Premium Times reported.
The students were reportedly released on Friday along the boundary between Agwara and Borgu local government areas.
This brings to 280 the total number of children from the school who have now been freed. Within the first 24 hours of the kidnapping, pupils managed to escape on their own, leaving 265 abductees, including all 12 teachers, in captivity. On December 7, the federal government announced the release of 100 students.
According to reports, the school was attacked on November 21, by gunmen on motorbikes, who abducted 303 students and 12 teachers in an operation that reportedly lasted approximately three hours.
President Bola Tinubu, president, suspended scheduled foreign trips to personally oversee the government’s response. His intervention coincided with the indefinite closure of schools across Niger State and several federal institutions in high-risk areas—part of a broader security reassessment triggered by the surge in school abductions.
Read also:US, Nigeria sign $5.1bn MoU to boost healthcare, support faith-based facilities
This incident is among several contributing to the recent nationwide review of school security. In the wake of escalating abductions and banditry, the Federal Ministry of Education had ordered the closure of 47 federal unity schools located in states deemed high-risk, including Niger, Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina, and Kebbi.
The affected schools, established to promote national integration, were shut in November following a directive from the ministry citing “grave security concerns” and the need to protect students and staff. The ministry later announced their phased reopening beginning December 8, contingent on the deployment of enhanced security measures, including military patrols, installation of surveillance systems, and collaboration with local vigilante groups.
The federal government and the Niger State government have not issued any official statement on the latest release.
Details soon
