Another 130 Abducted Niger Schoolchildren Regain Freedom

Another 130 pupils of St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, have finally regained their freedom.

Details of the pupils’ freedom are still scanty, but Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication to President Bola Tinubu, disclosed this in a tacit post on X Sunday evening.

“Another 130 abducted Niger State pupils released. None left in captivity,” he wrote.

Security agencies had secured the release of about 100 pupils On December 8, bringing the total number of freed victims to 230.

Gunmen had stormed the boarding school around 2am on motorcycles on November 21 and abducted the pupils. The incident raised concerns over a wave of insecurity in several parts of the country.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) later disclosed that 50 children escaped during the raid.

The President consequently deployed ground troops and aerial surveillance to parts of Niger, Kebbi and Kwara states to track the kidnappers.

Federal government colleges, some state-owned schools and federal institutions in high-risk areas were also temporarily closed.