iDeemlawfulThe Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger state says fifty students taken from St Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara LGA, have managed to break free from captivity.
The chairman of the Niger state chapter of CAN and Catholic bishop of Kontagora diocese, Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, revealed this in a statement on Sunday.
He said the pupils regained freedom between Friday and Saturday and “quietly reunited with their families”.
According to him, the primary section has 430 pupils, of which 377 reside in the hostel while 53 attend as day students.
“Currently, aside from the 50 pupils that escaped and have returned home, we have 141 pupils who were not taken. As it stands now, 236 pupils, three children belonging to staff members, 14 secondary school students, and 12 staff members remain with the abductors.”
It was reported that gunmen invaded the catholic school in Niger State in the early hours of Friday, seizing an undisclosed number of students and teachers.
On Saturday, CAN said gunmen had kidnapped a total of 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers during attacks on the Niger State school.
A statement from the secretary to the Niger State government on Friday noted that authorities had earlier received intelligence pointing to heightened threats in the area.
It said the school reopened “without notifying or seeking clearance from the State Government, thereby exposing pupils and the staff to avoidable risk”.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu cancelled his planned trip to the G20 summit in South Africa following the abductions. Vice President Kashim Shettima will attend in his place, the presidency said on X.
