BREAKING: 100 School Children kidnapped by gunmen in Niger State rescued
BREAKING: 100 School Children kidnapped by gunmen in Niger State rescued
Nigerian Government has secured the release of about 100 schoolchildren kidnapped by gunmen from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area, Niger State.
Suspected Bandits on 21 November 2025, invaded the school in the remote community of Papiri.
Arriving around 2:00 a.m. on motorbikes, the gunmen stormed the school dormitories over a three-hour period, abducting 315 people—303 students and 12 teachers.
Security forces and community hunters were deployed to comb nearby forests for the abductees.
In the immediate aftermath, 50 pupils escaped within the first day and were reunited with their families.
However, 265 individuals—including 253 children and all 12 teachers—remained in captivity.
The Federal Government responded by imposing a 24-hour security cordon and launching aerial surveillance across parts of Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger States.
President Bola Tinubu cancelled planned international travel to address the crisis.
Authorities also ordered the indefinite closure of all schools in Niger State and many federal institutions in high-risk regions.
