Breaking: 50 Abducted Niger Pupils Have Escaped, CAN Confirms
- Armed men stormed St. Mary’s Secondary and Primary School in Niger State, abducting hundreds of pupils and staff
- Fifty pupils managed to escape from captivity and have since been reunited with their families
- Security agencies are intensifying efforts to rescue the remaining victims still held by the attackers
Armed men attacked St. Mary’s Secondary and Primary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State in the early hours of Friday.
Reports said the attackers shot a security guard before abducting more than 200 pupils and students, along with 13 teaching and non-teaching staff.
Source: Twitter
The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State, Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, who is also the proprietor of the school, confirmed in his first update that 215 students and 12 staff members were taken.
By Saturday, Rev. Yohanna said 88 more students could not be accounted for, raising fears that the number of abducted victims was higher than initially reported.
Fifty pupils reunited with families
In a statement released by his aide, Daniel Atori, on Sunday, Rev. Yohanna announced that fifty pupils had managed to escape from captivity on Saturday and had since been reunited with their families.
“This is to notify the public that as of Sunday, 23rd November 2025, we have received some good news as fifty (50) pupils escaped and have reunited with their parents,” the statement read.
School population details
Rev. Yohanna explained that the school operates both boarding and day sessions. He said the primary section had 430 pupils, with 377 boarders and 53 day pupils.
Providing an update on those still missing, he stated:
“Currently, aside from the 50 pupils that escaped and have returned home, we have 141 pupils who were not taken. As it stands now, 236 pupils, three children belonging to staff members, 14 secondary school students, and 12 staff members remain with the abductors.”
Security agencies were reported to be intensifying operations to rescue the remaining victims still held by the armed men.
Source: Legit.ng
