In a devastating escalation of Nigeria’s ongoing school abduction crisis, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State has confirmed that the total number of pupils kidnapped from St Mary’s Private Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area, has risen to 303. When combined with the 12 teachers also taken, the total number of victims now stands at 315.
The attack occurred in the early hours of Friday when armed gunmen stormed the Catholic-run institution, triggering panic and chaos as they rounded up students and staff. Initial reports, based on immediate headcounts and eyewitness accounts, estimated that 215 pupils had been abducted. However, as the hours and days passed, a more meticulous verification process revealed the true scale of the tragedy.
Most Rev Bulus Dauzia Yohanna, Chairman of the Niger State chapter of CAN and Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, released an official statement on Saturday through his media aide, Mr Daniel Atori, announcing the revised and final figures. “After the gunmen left the school premises,” the statement read, “we immediately began contacting parents and cross-checking the school’s records. A thorough census was conducted to determine exactly how many children were missing. To our shock, we discovered that many parents had initially believed their children managed to escape into the surrounding bush during the confusion of the attack. It was only later, when the children failed to return home, that the parents realised they had actually been captured while attempting to flee.”
Bishop Yohanna explained that the additional 88 pupils were seized by the attackers as they tried to run for safety, bringing the confirmed total of abducted students from 215 to 303. The verification exercise, he emphasised, was exhaustive and involved direct phone calls to every family, reconciliation of class registers, and collaboration with local community leaders.
St Mary’s Private Primary and Secondary Schools, owned and administered by the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, had a total enrolment of 629 pupils at the beginning of the current academic session — 430 in the primary section and 199 in the secondary section. The scale of the abduction therefore represents nearly half of the entire student population, making it one of the largest single-incident school kidnappings in recent Nigerian history.
In his statement, the CAN chairman took pains to refute emerging narratives that sought to shift responsibility onto the school management. He categorically denied claims that the school had received prior security warnings or government directives to close temporarily, which were allegedly ignored. “No circular, no security alert, and no directive reached either the school authority or the leadership of the National Association of Private Schools before this tragic incident,” Bishop Yohanna declared. “Anyone claiming that the school was warned and refused to comply is simply not telling the truth. Such falsehoods only serve to distract from the real issue and cause unnecessary pain to the traumatised families.”
He also dismissed social-media rumours suggesting that school administrators or members of the Reverend Sisters congregation had travelled to Abuja days before the attack, implying foreknowledge or negligence. “These are malicious fabrications designed to deflect blame from the security failures that allowed this to happen,” the Bishop said, urging the public to desist from spreading unverified information that could hamper rescue efforts.
The abduction in Papiri is the latest in a distressing series of attacks on educational institutions across northern and central Nigeria, where criminal gangs commonly referred to as “bandits” have turned mass kidnapping for ransom into a lucrative enterprise. Schools, particularly in rural and semi-rural areas with limited security presence, have become soft targets. The incident has once again exposed the vulnerability of students and the apparent inability of authorities to provide adequate protection despite repeated assurances.
Most Rev Yohanna called on Nigerians of all faiths to intensify prayers for the safe and speedy release of the 303 pupils and 12 teachers still in captivity. He revealed that the Catholic Church is working round the clock with federal and state security agencies, the Niger State government, traditional rulers, and community leaders to explore every possible avenue for the victims’ rescue. “We are leaving no stone unturned,” he assured, while pleading with the abductors to have mercy and release the innocent children and their teachers unharmed.
As of Saturday evening, there has been no official claim of responsibility and no public demand from the kidnappers, though experience from previous incidents suggests that negotiations for ransom are likely already underway behind the scenes.
The Papiri abduction has sent shockwaves across Niger State and beyond, reigniting national outrage over the deteriorating security situation and the seeming normalisation of attacks on schools. Parents, civil society organisations, and religious bodies are demanding urgent and decisive action from both state and federal authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice and, more importantly, to secure the immediate return of the 315 hostages.
For now, hundreds of families in Agwara Local Government Area and surrounding communities wait in anguish, clinging to hope and prayer as the search for their loved ones continues. The revised figure of 303 abducted pupils serves as a grim reminder of the human cost of insecurity and the urgent need for sustainable solutions to protect Nigeria’s children and their right to education.
