50 students abducted from Niger Catholic School escape, reunite with parents

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger state says fifty students abducted from St Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara LGA, have escaped from captivity.

The chairman of the Niger state chapter of CAN and Catholic bishop of Kontagora diocese, Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

He said the pupils regained freedom between Friday and Saturday and “quietly reunited with their families”.

According to him, the primary section has 430 pupils, out of which 377 are boarders and 53 day pupils.

“Currently, aside from the 50 pupils that escaped and have returned home, we have 141 pupils who were not taken. As it stands now, 236 pupils, three children belonging to staff members, 14 secondary school students, and 12 staff members remain with the abductors.”

It was reported that gunmen stormed the catholic school in Niger State in the wee hours of Friday, kidnapping an unspecified number of students and teachers.

On Saturday, CAN said gunmen had kidnapped a total of 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers in raids on the Niger State school.

A statement from the secretary to the Niger State government on Friday said that authorities had earlier received intelligence warning of increased threats in the area.

It said the school reopened “without notifying or seeking clearance from the State Government, thereby exposing pupils and the staff to avoidable risk”.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu cancelled his planned trip to the G20 summit in South Africa following the abductions. Vice President Kashim Shettima will attend in his place, the presidency said on X.