The Federal Government has reportedly secured the release of 100 schoolchildren abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, located in the Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State.
The kidnapping occurred on 21 November 2025, when armed attackers stormed the remote community around 2:00 a.m.
Arriving on motorbikes, the bandits operated for nearly three hours, moving through student hostels and abducting 315 people—including 303 students and 12 teachers.
Security agencies, supported by local hunters, launched extensive search-and-rescue operations across nearby forests. Within the first 24 hours, 50 pupils escaped and were reunited with their families.
Despite the early success, 265 individuals remained in captivity, comprising 253 children and all 12 teachers.
In response to the mass abduction, the Federal Government imposed a 24-hour security lockdown and deployed aerial surveillance across parts of Niger, Kebbi, and Kwara States.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu also cancelled an international trip to personally oversee the rescue operations. Authorities subsequently ordered the indefinite closure of all schools in Niger State and several federal institutions in high-risk areas.
