More than 200 parents of students and staff taken from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, have voiced anguish and helplessness as they await updates on their missing relatives.
Armed bandits struck the school on November 21, kidnapping about 315 individuals, consisting of 303 students and 12 personnel, and transporting them into the forest. Two days later, on November 23, around 50 students escaped and were reunited with their families, leaving 253 people still being held.
The parents, who assembled at the school to comply with the Niger State Government’s directive to register their details, appealed to authorities and relevant actors to intensify efforts to rescue their children and teachers from their abductors.
Many parents, visibly distressed and holding placards with various messages, criticised the government’s continued absence, noting that no official had visited to console or address them.
Some of the displayed messages included: ‘Bring Back Our Girls’, ‘Our Girls and Teachers are still in captivity’, ‘We need security in Agwarra’, and ‘Is education a crime?’ The tragedy has also reportedly led to the deaths of two parents — a man and a woman — due to shock and emotional distress, according to a statement released by the Catholic Bishop of the Kontagora Diocese, Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, who oversees the school.
“I am devastated, in fact, I am very disturbed that the children up till now are not back yet,” said Sister Blessing Amodu, the weeping headmistress.
“All I am pleading for at this moment is for the government and all concerned and everyone that is touched by this to please help us to look for ways on how to rescue these children and the staff back to us,” she pleaded.
A parent, Dimas Joseph Mauhuta, whose son, Julius Dimas (JSS 2), is among those seized, criticised the government for allegedly denying the kidnapping.
“We wonder why the state government will say such a thing. The truth is that, my child and others were abducted. The government should stop playing the blame game and act. They should come to our aid instead of saying what is not true,” he said.
Another parent, Emmanuel Ejeh, whose son, Mathias, was abducted, mentioned that his two older children had finished from the school and that it had never been attacked before.
“We are appealing to the government to please help us. bring back our children, they are innocent, they don’t deserve this,” he said.
Earlier, the Diocesan Director of Communication, Rev. Fr. Stephen Okafor, said the registration exercise was necessary based on government instructions.
“With this registration and the number of parents who have turned up, we do hope those negative speculations will end,” he said.
Speaking to the parents, the Catholic Bishop of the Kontagora Diocese, Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, expressed optimism that the kidnapped individuals would eventually regain their freedom.
“It is eight days now since their abduction, we have not heard anything yet. We are still very hopeful of their return and we are prayerful,” he said.
The bishop added that the school serves more than 50 communities in and outside Agwarra LGA, stressing that gathering the parents for registration had been difficult. He noted that many travelled for hours on motorcycles to reach the school.
The Principal of the school, Rev. Sis. Felicia Gyam, dismissed claims that the school received any alert before the attack.
“Whoever says there was a prior warning before the attack should bring proof of evidence. Neither was there a circular nor a verbal notification,” she said.
The abduction of over 300 students and teachers in Niger State, alongside related kidnappings in Kebbi, Kwara and other regions, has triggered widespread alarm across Nigeria and abroad, raising renewed calls for decisive federal action against worsening violence.
Among those calling for the immediate release of the victims is Pope Leo XIV. In reaction to the growing insecurity, President Bola Tinubu ordered the deployment of security units to search for the abductees, approved additional police recruitment to boost internal safety, declared a nationwide security emergency, and authorised the engagement of forest guards to secure remote communities.
The attack is part of an escalating pattern of violence across the country, driven by various armed factions, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP. Consequently, the federal government continues to face criticism over its approach to the crisis, with experts urging deeper action to address underlying issues threatening Nigeria’s stability and development.
