The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, in Niger State has declared an additional 88 students missing following Friday’s mass abduction at St. Mary’s Secondary School, Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area.
The revised figure brings the total number of students now unaccounted for to 303, alongside the 12 teachers previously confirmed kidnapped.
Most. Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, provided the updated figure on Saturday morning, opposing the initial numbers released on Friday morning. Knowledge about this increase is attributed to many parents rushing to the school after the attack to evacuate their children, only to find them gone.
The Bishop stated that at the time of the attack, the school had a population of 430 primary pupils and 199 secondary students. The 12 staff members kidnapped include four female and eight male teachers.
The Catholic Diocese dismissed the claim by the Niger State Government that the school was operating against a prior closure directive.
We have asked the Education Secretary if he received a circular he said no; or if he was asked to send any to us, he said no… They claimed the school was shut down and reopened a few days ago, that is also not true, we are law abiding – the Bishop’s aide, Daniel Atori, stated.
He demanded that the government prove how and through what channel the alleged circular was sent.
Recall, Dawn Herald reported that the Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Usman, had issued a statement blaming the school management for exposing students to avoidable risk by reopening despite intelligence reports of increased threat levels in the Niger North Senatorial District.
The rising number of abductees has raised fear across the northern region, forcing pre-emptive actions by other state governments. Taraba State Governor has directed the immediate discharge of boarding students to mitigate any potential threat. Meanwhile, the Plateau State Police ordered a 24-hour surveillance operation as schools across the state shut down over insecurity fears.
Experts warn that the persistent and unpredictable raids on schools are continuing to disrupt education and raise dropout rates across states like Kebbi, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Niger.
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