The Federal Government has secured the release of 130 kidnapped schoolchildren whisked away by gunmen from the St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, Niger State.
A presidential spokesman, Sunday Dare, announced this on his official X handle on Sunday.
“Another 130 abducted Niger state pupils released, none left in captivity,” Dare said in the post on X.
The post was accompanied by a photo of smiling children and a woman.
Over 300 children, teachers, and other staff members were kidnapped by the gunmen who stormed the Catholic school in the early hours of 21 November 2025.
Sources said the gunmen, who arrived in large numbers, riding on over 60 motorcycles and accompanied by a van, shot the school’s gatekeeper, leaving him with serious injuries.
Niger state government, while condemning the attack, said it had earlier issued a clear directive suspending all construction activities and ordering the temporary closure of all boarding schools within the affected zone as a precautionary measure, a claim the school authorities denied.
The attack was the latest in a series of abductions involving schoolchildren, and came less than a week after bandits kidnapped over 20 girls from the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) in Maga, Kebbi State.
Days later, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) disclosed that 50 of the children escaped from captivity.
The exact number of those who were kidnapped from the school is still unclear, as CAN had earlier said 315 people were taken away.
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.
(Channels Tv)
