Niger State Government Blames St. Mary’s Catholic School for the Abduction of 215 Students, 12 Teachers

The Niger State Government has blamed the abduction of 215 students and 12 teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri in Agwara Local Government Area, on the school’s alleged refusal to comply with an order temporarily closing boarding schools in the region due to heightened security threats.

Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Abubakar Usman, said in a statement on Friday that the latest attack occurred because the school ignored security advisories and reopened without government clearance. According to him, the government had issued a directive suspending construction activities and closing all boarding schools across parts of Niger North after receiving credible intelligence of imminent attacks.

“The breach occurred despite earlier intelligence reports received by the Government warning of heightened security threats across parts of Niger North Senatorial District,” he said. “Acting on these credible indicators, the State Government had promptly directed the suspension of all construction work and the temporary closure of all boarding schools within the affected axis as a preventive measure. Unfortunately, St. Mary’s School reopened for academic activities without notifying or obtaining clearance from the State Government, thereby exposing pupils and staff to avoidable danger.”

Usman added that security agencies had launched coordinated search-and-rescue operations to recover the abducted children and teachers. “The Government remains in constant communication with all relevant security formations and will continue to provide updates as verified information emerges,” he said, urging school owners and community leaders to comply strictly with security directives. “Protecting the lives of citizens, especially children, remains the highest priority of this administration.”

The Niger State Police Command also confirmed the attack, saying armed bandits invaded the school around 2 a.m. on November 21. Police spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said tactical units of the police and military had been deployed to comb nearby forests in pursuit of the kidnappers. “The Commissioner of Police, CP Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, reiterated the Command’s commitment to rescue the students unhurt, and appealed to members of the public to remain calm and support security operations,” the statement said.

The police also disclosed that the school management will face investigation for violating the government’s closure directive. The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora confirmed the abduction as well, urging the public to “remain calm and continue to pray for the safe and quick return of those abducted,” according to a statement by the Diocesan Secretary, Reverend Father Jatau Joseph Luka.

The Northern Governors’ Forum expressed deep concern, warning that continued attacks on schools threaten the region’s efforts to return out-of-school children to classrooms. In the statement signed on behalf of the Forum, the governors said, “As a Forum, we have consistently maintained that schools must remain sanctuaries of learning and growth, not theatres of fear, violence, or terror. Northern Nigeria already contends with significant challenges and educational setbacks, and we cannot allow criminal elements to derail our collective efforts.”

The Forum added that governors would intensify collaboration with security agencies to “strengthen intelligence gathering, enhance community vigilance and reinforce the protection of our schools,” while extending sympathy to the victims’ families. Governor Inuwa Yahaya, who spoke for the Forum, described the abduction as “heartbreaking and deeply troubling,” calling for swift and coordinated rescue efforts.

Security experts and civil society organisations also reacted to the growing wave of school abductions, calling for reforms to Nigeria’s security architecture. Former Cross River State Security Adviser, Mr. Rekpene Bassey, said the Firearms Act of 1959 had become obsolete, noting that “criminal elements across the federation are in possession of these prohibited weapons,” which he argued the law has failed to control. He said the Act should be “totally reviewed or abrogated” to reflect today’s security realities.

Former DSS Director Mike Ejiofor echoed similar concerns, stating that liberalising firearm possession for qualified citizens could deter criminals. “If all of us were carrying arms, criminal gangs, bandits, terrorists and kidnappers would not be able to continue their activities,” he said, arguing that armed citizens would “checkmate” the impunity of armed groups.

Public policy analyst Chidi Ugwu and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons also called for an urgent overhaul of Nigeria’s outdated arms-control laws. NCCSALW Director-General, DIG Johnson Kokumo (Rtd), noted that the current legal framework had been overtaken by global developments.

Other security analysts emphasised the importance of community policing. Retired intelligence expert Ejike Eze said crime could be reduced significantly if communities were involved in policing their own environments. “A stranger will not easily go to a place he does not understand to steal,” he said, stressing that criminals heavily depend on insider collaborators.

Civil society leaders Emmanuel Ikule of the Elixir Trust Foundation and Okechukwu Nwanguma of RULAAC said the recent attacks in Niger, Kebbi, and Nasarawa were proof that the government “has lost control of the security situation.” Ikule criticised defence and security leaders for showing “no genuine interest” in resolving the crisis, questioning how trillions budgeted for defence were being utilised. He argued that Nigeria’s borders remain porous and that attacks in some communities are now viewed as “a second phase of jihad.”

Nwanguma described the recurring abductions as “deeply unfortunate,” saying many previously kidnapped schoolchildren are still missing. He added, “It is ironic that the president, who once called on former President Jonathan to resign over repeated abductions, is today presiding over even worse incidents.” He insisted that the government must deploy all available resources to rescue abducted children and prevent future attacks. “If the president cannot ensure the safety and welfare of Nigerians, the primary purpose of government, then he has no basis to remain in office.”

The CSOs urged sweeping reforms, the strengthening of community-based security structures, accountability for compromised officers, and the prosecution of terrorists rather than reintegration.