After almost one month in captivity, the remaining 130 schoolchildren abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, have regained freedom.
The schoolchildren were reportedly freed on Friday between Agwara and Borgu local government areas of the state.
Gunmen suspected to be bandits invaded the school on November 21 on motorbikes, taking away 315 persons — 303 students and 12 teachers — in an operation that lasted three hours.
Subsequently, 50 pupils escaped within the first 24 hours, with 265 abductees, including all 12 teachers, remaining in captivity.
On December 7, the federal government secured the release of 100 students.
The rescue followed intensified military operations, aerial surveillance across Niger, Kwara and Kebbi states, and the deployment of community hunters in the forests.
President Bola Tinubu had cancelled scheduled foreign trips to personally oversee the response, which also triggered the indefinite closure of schools in Niger state and several federal institutions in high-risk areas.
