The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora has confirmed that all pupils and staff abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic Schools, Papiri, in Niger State, have been successfully rescued and reunited with their families.
The confirmation was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by Rev. Fr. Bulus Yohanna, proprietor of St. Mary’s Catholic Private Primary and Secondary School.
According to the statement, a total of 230 individuals, comprising 204 pupils, 14 students and 12 staff members were verified to have been abducted during the incident and were later rescued through the combined efforts of the Federal Government, Niger State Government and security agencies.
Yohanna said all rescued children have since returned to their families, noting that there is no report of any pupil or staff member still missing.
He explained that following the abduction on November 21, an initial headcount indicated that 315 persons were unaccounted for.
However, by November 23, about 50 individuals previously listed as missing escaped and made their way back to their families, reducing the number of unaccounted persons to 265.
“A joint verification exercise involving the state government, security agencies and school authorities later revealed that not all parents were present during the exercise,” he said.
Yohanna added that a second and final verification conducted by school authorities in collaboration with the Parents–Teachers Association revealed that an additional 35 persons had either not been abducted or had escaped earlier.
“As a result, out of the initial 315 persons reported missing, 85 were confirmed to have either escaped or not been abducted, bringing the verified number of abducted persons to 230,” Yohanna stated.
He attributed the discrepancies in the initial figures to the chaotic nature of the incident, explaining that some pupils fled into nearby bushes and did not return in time for the first headcount, while some parents were absent during the verification process.
Yohanna stressed that the discrepancies were not intended to mislead the public but resulted from the challenges of managing a rapidly evolving and emotionally charged situation.
He expressed gratitude to the Federal and Niger State governments, security agencies, parents, the Christian community, the media and members of the public for their prayers, patience and support.
He also offered prayers for healing and full recovery for all affected pupils, staff and families.
