The Federal Government has successfully secured the release of 100 pupils abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara LGA, Niger State, two weeks after the horrific attack by armed bandits.
The children were among the 303 students and 12 teachers taken hostage when gunmen on motorbikes stormed the school dormitories in the early hours of 21 November 2025.
Sources close to the negotiations confirmed to Channels Television that the 100 freed pupils are currently undergoing medical checks and debriefing before being reunited with their families.
Details of how the release was achieved have not been officially disclosed.
So far:50 pupils escaped on the first day of the abduction, 100 have now been released through federal intervention, 165 pupils and 12 teachers remain in captivity.
The breakthrough comes one week after National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu personally visited the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese and distraught parents, assuring them that “the children are doing fine and will return soon.”
President Bola Tinubu had cancelled international trips to personally oversee the rescue efforts, while the military imposed a 24-hour security cordon and intensified aerial surveillance across Niger, Kwara, and Kebbi States.
The Niger State Government had earlier condemned the attack and revealed it had ordered the temporary closure of boarding schools in the area after receiving intelligence of heightened threats.
The school reportedly resumed without official clearance, a claim the management denied.More details expected soon as efforts continue to secure the release of the remaining 177 hostages.
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