The Presidency has confirmed the release of the final group of 130 students abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Niger State.
The confirmation was made on Sunday evening by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Communication, Sunday Dare, through a post on his official X account. He stated that the newly freed students marked the last batch in captivity, adding that all 303 students and 12 teachers taken during the November 21 attack had now been successfully accounted for.
The released pupils were transported to Minna, the Niger State capital, where they reunited with other students who had regained freedom in earlier phases over the past few weeks.
Reports indicate that shortly after the attack, about 50 students escaped on their own, while another 100 were rescued by security operatives on December 8. President Bola Tinubu had earlier attributed the rescues to what he described as sustained security efforts.
Upon arrival in Minna, the students were received at the Government House by Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, who assured that medical personnel would assess their health before they are reunited with their families.
The abduction took place in the early hours of November 21 when gunmen on motorcycles invaded the boarding school in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area. Witnesses said the attackers fired sporadically to cause fear before entering hostels and forcing students and staff to leave with them.
The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, which owns the school, had earlier disclosed that a member of the school’s security staff sustained serious injuries during the attack.
