Gov Bago receives 100 abducted Niger state schoolchildren after release

Governor Umaru Bago of Niger State has received the 100 abducted pupils of the St. Mary’s Catholic Private Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, whose release was secured by the Federal Government.

Conveyed in separate buses, the children arrived at the Niger State Government House at about 5:20 pm and were received by Governor Bago and other government officials.

The Federal Government reportedly secured the release of the children on Sunday, though the Presidency had yet to issue a statement on the development.

On Monday, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) stated that it had not received any official notification regarding the students’s reported release.

In a statement, the Chairman of the Association, Niger State Chapter, Bishop Bulus Yohanna, noted that it would have been cheery news to learn of the abductees’ freedom.

“It will be a thing of joy if some of our children have been released. We have been praying and waiting for their return. If it is true, then it is a cheering news. However, we are not officially aware and have not been duly notified.

‘We hope and pray it’s true and will be looking forward to when the remaining will be released”, the statement partly read.

Bandits on 21 November 2025, attacked the St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, in the remote community of Papiri, abducting 315 people—303 students and 12 teachers.

In the immediate aftermath, 50 pupils escaped within the first day and were reunited with their families.

However, 265 individuals—including 253 children and all 12 teachers—remained in captivity until Sunday, when the number was reduced to 165, following the release of 100 pupils.

The incident attracted reactions from prominent people, including the Catholic pontif, Pope Leo XIV.

The Federal Government responded by imposing a 24-hour security cordon and launching aerial surveillance across parts of Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger States.

President Bola Tinubu cancelled planned international travel to address the crisis.

Authorities also ordered the indefinite closure of all schools in Niger State and many federal institutions in high-risk regions.

Last week, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, visited the school in Papiri, assuring school authorities and parents that the abducted children were safe and would soon be returned.

“God is with them and God is with us. Evil will never win. They are going to come back. I give you that assurance,” Ribadu said during a visit to the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese and Proprietor of the school, Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, as well as parents of the abducted children at St. Michael’s Catholic Cathedral, Kontagora.