Minna, Niger State – December 9, 2025
By Prosper Mene
Joy and tears mingled at the Niger State Government House on Monday evening as 100 schoolchildren, abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara LGA, were reunited with their families after 18 harrowing days in terrorist captivity.
The children, mostly between ages 5 and 10 and visibly malnourished, marched into the Government House hall at exactly 5:30 p.m. to thunderous applause from parents, clerics, dignitaries and security officials who had waited anxiously throughout the day.
President Bola Tinubu, in an immediate reaction, congratulated Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago and the security agencies while issuing fresh orders for the intensified rescue of the remaining 115 pupils and 12 teachers still held by the gunmen.
“I rejoice with Governor Umar Bago and commend our security agencies for their steadfast work,” President Tinubu said in a statement by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga.
“My directive remains unequivocal: all the students and every abducted Nigerian must be rescued and brought back home safely. We will not rest until we account for every single victim.”
The President reiterated that the Federal Government is collaborating closely with the Niger State Government to reunite all the children with their families and to implement stronger security measures in strengthening school security nationwide.
“From now on, our security agencies, working with governors, must prevent future kidnappings. Our children must no longer be sitting ducks for heartless criminals,” he declared.
The 100 children were handed over to Governor Bago by a representative of the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, in a brief ceremony inside the Government House.
An emotional Governor Bago, fighting back tears, thanked President Tinubu, the NSA, security agencies, UNICEF and other partners for making the release possible.
“We want to thank Mr President for giving us the necessary support and inputs to rescue these children. By the grace of God and with continued effort, the remaining ones will be recovered in a very short time, Insha Allah,” the governor assured.
He disclosed that medical teams were already examining the children and that they would be handed over to their parents only after proper health checks, in collaboration with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
Gunmen had stormed St. Mary’s School on November 21, 2025, abducting a total of 227 pupils and 12 teachers, according to the school proprietor and Niger State CAN Chairman, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, Catholic Bishop of Kontagora.
Fifty children managed to escape two days later on November 23. Monday’s release of 100 brings the number of freed victims to 150, leaving 115 pupils and the 12 teachers still in captivity.
The release came barely 24 hours after a three-day fasting and prayer programme organised by Niger State CAN across all 25 local government areas ended on Sunday.
Speaking earlier on Sunday before the news broke, Bishop Yohanna had said: “It will be a thing of joy if some of our children have been released. We have been praying and waiting. If it is true, then it is cheering news.”
Mass abductions of schoolchildren have become a recurring nightmare in northern Nigeria since the 2014 Chibok girls’ kidnapping by Boko Haram.
Niger State has been particularly hard-hit, with previous incidents including the 2021 Kagara school abduction. Neighbouring Kebbi and Kwara states have also recorded coordinated attacks on schools and places of worship in recent weeks.
Following the Papiri attack, President Tinubu on November 26 declared a security emergency and ordered a surge in military operations to protect schools, farms and religious centres.
Security sources say combined kinetic operations with back-channel negotiations to secure Monday’s release, though officials declined to comment on whether any ransom was paid.
As celebrations continue in Minna, anxious parents of the remaining 115 children and the 12 teachers keep vigil, clinging to Governor Bago’s promise and President Tinubu’s vow that no child will be left behind.
