FG SECURES RELEASE OF 130 ABDUCTED NIGER SCHOOLCHILDREN

The Federal Government has secured the release of 130 schoolchildren abducted by gunmen from St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Niger State.

The development was confirmed on Sunday by presidential spokesman Sunday Dare in a post on his official X handle, where he stated that all the abducted pupils had been freed and none remained in captivity.

The mass abduction occurred in the early hours of November 21, when armed men stormed the Catholic school, kidnapping pupils, teachers and staff. Witnesses said the attackers arrived in large numbers on motorcycles and in a van, shooting and seriously injuring the school’s gatekeeper.

While the exact number of victims remains disputed, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) earlier put the figure at over 300, though it later disclosed that about 50 children escaped from captivity.

The Federal Government had earlier secured the release of 100 pupils on December 7, who were handed over to the Niger State Government by the Office of the National Security Adviser and received by Governor Umaru Bago.

The abductions triggered widespread condemnation and heightened security measures, including aerial surveillance, school closures in high-risk areas and a 24-hour security cordon across parts of Niger, Kwara and Kebbi states. President Bola Tinubu also suspended planned foreign travel to oversee the response to the crisis.

The incident added to growing concerns over insecurity nationwide and drew international attention to the spate of school kidnappings in Nigeria.