The Niger State Government has placed blame on the management of St. Mary’s Papiri Catholic Secondary School in Agwara LGA for last Friday’s mass abduction, saying the school reopened against a clear security directive issued weeks earlier.
In a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Abubakar Usman, the government said it received the news of the kidnapping “with deep sadness”, adding that the exact number of abducted pupils and staff was still being verified. Early reports from local officials suggest that more than 100 students and teachers may have been taken.
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According to the government, intelligence had indicated a heightened threat across parts of the Niger North Senatorial District. In response, authorities ordered the suspension of all construction activities and the temporary closure of every boarding school in the vulnerable region. Despite this, St. Mary’s School allegedly reopened without seeking approval.
“By resuming academic activities without clearance, the school exposed its pupils and staff to preventable danger,” the statement read.
Residents said the attackers arrived between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m., carrying out a swift and coordinated operation before escaping into the bush with their captives. The Head of Disaster and Relief for Agwara LGA, Ahmed Abdullahi Rofia, and the council chairman’s media aide, Bello Gidi, confirmed the incident.
The attack comes less than a week after terrorists abducted 25 female students from a government girls’ school in Kebbi State, underscoring a rising wave of school-targeted assaults across northern Nigeria.
Security agencies have launched search-and-rescue operations, while the state government urged all school proprietors and community leaders to strictly comply with security advisories to avoid further tragedies.
