The 115 schoolchildren of St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State still being held by their captors have regained their freedom.
The release of the children occured barely one month after they were abducted by the terrorists in a midnight raid on the school where 315 of them including their teachers taken away.
Recalled that 100 of the children were released two weeks ago and have been reunited with their families.
Although there is no official confirmation of the release yet, it was gathered that the school children were released on Friday evening in far away forest between Agwara and Borgu Local Government Areas of the state.
Already security agents from the office of the National Security Adviser have been mobilized for the evacuation of the children under heavy security.
A source in analysing the release of the remaining children said it was an intensive negotiation between the government and the terrorists.
Our source could not ascertain if ransom was paid for their release or not. But, it is generally believed that something might have occurred behind the scenes.
The children were part of the 315 persons seized on 21 November 2025 when armed bandits stormed the remote school community around 2:00 a.m., operating unhindered for nearly three hours.
The attackers abducted 303 students and 12 teachers, prompting a massive security response.
In the first 24 hours after the attack, 50 of the students escaped and were reunited with their families, leaving 265 others with their abductors, including 253 children and all 12 teachers.
To contain the crisis, the Federal Government enforced a 24-hour security lockdown across the area and launched wide-ranging aerial surveillance covering parts of Niger, Kwara, and Kebbi States.
President Bola Tinubu also cancelled a scheduled international trip to oversee the rescue operations personally.
Equally, the state governor Umaru Mohammed Bago cancelled all his official engagement and his proposed brief holiday and ordered prayers for the release of the remaining children.
The governor also ordered the closure of all schools in Niger State and several other federal institutions in high-risk areas to prevent further attacks.
The National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu, accompanied with other federal government delegation visited Kontagora to meet the Catholic Bishop of the Diocese, Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, and distraught parents of the abducted children.
Ribadu during the meeting assured them that the pupils were in stable condition and would soon be returned safely.
