The federal government has secured the release of 100 schoolchildren who were kidnapped from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara local government of Niger State.
The children were abducted two weeks ago.
Security sources told TheCable on Sunday that the children have been freed and are safe. The government is expected to share full details of the operation on Monday.
The gunmen had attacked the school on November 21 around 2:00 a.m., arriving on motor
bikes. They initially took 315 people — 303 students and 12 teachers — during an attack that lasted three hours.
Rescue efforts and government response
Within the first 24 hours, 50 pupils managed to escape. That left 265 people, including all 12 teachers, still in captivity until this latest release.
The rescue followed intense military operations, aerial surveillance across Niger, Kwara, and Kebbi states, and the deployment of local hunters to search the forests.
President Bola Tinubu had cancelled scheduled foreign trips to personally monitor the situation, which also led to the temporary closure of schools in Niger State and several federal institutions in high-risk areas.
Mixed reactions as families await confirmation
Daniel Atori, media aide to Bulus Yohanna, the CAN chairman in Niger State, said the school has not received any official communication about the release.
He said neither the school, the bishop who owns the school, nor the parents have been contacted.
“It will be a thing of joy if some of our children have been released… but we are not officially aware,” he said.
With the release of 100 students, 153 students and 12 teachers remain in the hands of the abductors.
