Kamsi Anayo and Joy Yesufu
All schoolchildren abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic Private Primary and Secondary School in the Papiri community of Agwara Local Government Area, Niger State, have been released.
Security sources confirmed their release on Sunday
The final batch of 115 students were freed on Sunday, bringing the total number of rescued children to about 265 and ending a traumatic month-long ordeal.
The abduction occurred in the early hours of Nov. 21, when armed gunmen attacked the boarding school, seizing 303 students and 12 teachers in what was one of the largest mass kidnappings in recent Nigerian history.
Recalls that 50 students escaped on their own shortly after the incident, while another 100 were released on December 8 following sustained security operations.
The release of the remaining 115 students has brought relief to families and is being hailed as a major breakthrough by security agencies involved in the rescue efforts.
The freed pupils were part of the 315 persons abducted on November 21, 2025, when gunmen stormed the remote school community around 2:00 a.m. and operated unhindered for nearly three hours.
During the attack, 303 students and 12 teachers were taken away. Within 24 hours, 50 students managed to escape and were reunited with their families, leaving 265 persons including 253 pupils and all 12 teachers in captivity.
Two weeks later, 100 of the abducted children were released, heightening public attention on the fate of the remaining 115 pupils.
In response to the attack, the Federal Government imposed a 24-hour security lockdown across the area and launched extensive aerial surveillance covering parts of Niger, Kwara and Kebbi states.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu also cancelled a scheduled international engagement to personally oversee rescue efforts, while Niger State Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago suspended official activities and directed statewide prayers for the safe return of the abducted pupils.
The governor further ordered the closure of schools across Niger State and other high-risk areas to prevent further attacks.
Earlier, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, led a federal delegation to Kontagora, where he met with the Catholic Bishop of the Diocese, Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, and parents of the abducted children.
Ribadu assured them that the pupils were alive and would be safely reunited with their families.
“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 the visit.
With the release of the remaining children, attention is now shifting to their medical evaluation, psychological support and reintegration, as authorities intensify efforts to prevent future attacks on schools in the state.
