The presidency has confirmed the release of the last batch of 130 students abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, Niger State.
The development was announced on Sunday evening by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Communication, Sunday Dare, via his official X handle.
“Another 130 abducted Niger State pupils released. None left in captivity,” Dare wrote, noting that all 303 students and 12 teachers taken during the November 21 attack have now been accounted for.
The freed pupils arrived in Minna, the Niger State capital, joining earlier batches released in stages over the past month.
Shortly after the abduction, about 50 students reportedly escaped on their own, while security agencies rescued another 100 students on December 8 following what President Bola Tinubu described as “sustained security operations.”
The students were received at the Niger State Government House by Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, who assured that health workers would examine the children before they are reunited with their families.
The abduction occurred in the early hours of November 21, when armed men riding motorcycles stormed the boarding school in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area. Eyewitnesses said the attackers fired shots into the air to sow panic before moving from dormitory to dormitory, rounding up students and staff.
A security staffer at the school was badly injured, according to the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, which owns the institution.
The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger State and school proprietor, Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, said the incident caused “immense anguish” for families, the OLA Sisters worldwide, the Diocese of Kontagora, and the local community.
The Niger State Government initially faulted the school for reopening without official clearance, arguing that the attack happened despite prior intelligence on heightened threats in the area.
“Regrettably, St. Mary’s School proceeded to reopen and resume academic activities without notifying or seeking clearance from the State Government, thereby exposing pupils and staff to avoidable risk,” said Abubakar Usman, Secretary to the Niger State Government.
However, the school’s principal, Felicia Gyam, rejected the claim, insisting there was no prior warning or government circular alerting the school to any threat.
Following the abduction, President Tinubu cancelled his planned attendance at the G20 Summit in South Africa and directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to represent him.
Meanwhile, Ogun State Governor and Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, Dapo Abiodun, described the release as a victory over evil forces.
“I am extremely delighted to learn that the remaining 130 students of St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, have been released. The students, their parents, Papiri community, and the Niger State Government have all endured a lot, and I rejoice with them in this moment of triumph over the forces of darkness,” Abiodun said.
The November 21, 2025 abduction, which involved 303 students and 12 teachers, ranks among the largest mass kidnappings in Nigeria’s recent history.