Anxiety mounts over fate of abducted 327 pupils

Parents, school owners and teachers in the country have expressed worry over increasing abductions of schoolchildren and the fate of the 327 pupils kidnapped in Kebbi and Niger states.

They note that with the current trend, no one is certain of the next educational institution that may be attacked.

Schools in the North have faced a string of attacks in the past few days.

On Monday, 26 schoolgirls were abducted from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State. Two of them later escaped, leaving 24 still in captivity.

On Friday, 215 pupils and 12 teachers were initially reported abducted in Niger, before the number of abducted students increased to 303 after a review of the missing pupils.

Despite optimism from security agencies and state governments about ongoing rescue efforts, the whereabouts of the abducted pupils remain unknown.

The Chairman of the National Proprietors of Private Schools, Otubela Abayomi, said the National Executive Committee of the group would be meeting over the matter on Sunday.

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, Otubela described the spate of abductions as a setback for national development and the future of the country.

“It is a matter of grave concern to us. We are also speaking to our local chairperson in that area to supply us with firsthand information aside from what is being reported in the media,” he said.

Abayomi described the ongoing wave of kidnappings as “painful” and “saddening.”

“It seems there is no end to the kidnapping of children and workers within schools. This is not a good omen for national development as those who are supposed to lead the country in the future are being denied quality education, and those who have not been attacked are full of fear at the moment,” he said.

He added, “We are grieving. The fact that it has not affected us directly or any of us directly does not mean that we are not thinking that one man’s problem is everybody’s problem. We are concerned. I am to have a meeting with my team, the National Executive Committee, tomorrow (Sunday).”

Also, the President of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, described the situation as scary.

He said, “We are aware that the government has also directed the closure of about 45 schools. We want the Federal Government to ensure that those that have been kidnapped are safe, rescued and brought back home. It’s like the bandits planned ahead to outsmart our security agencies. They need to save our children because this does not go down well with parents. They should bring back our children. We don’t want a repeat of the Chibok girls.”

Tinubu talks tough

Addressing escalating insecurity across the country, President Bola Tinubu, on Saturday, reaffirmed his commitment to “eliminate terrorist networks, dismantle banditry architecture and restore security, especially in the northern part of the country.”

Represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass, the President spoke at the 25th anniversary of the Arewa Consultative Forum in Kaduna.

Describing the situation as “one of the gravest tests in its history, marked by a corrosion of security, a collapse of communal ethics and a distortion of the moral compass that once held our communities together,” Tinubu vowed that “no region of Nigeria will be abandoned to violence.”

He stressed that peace in the north remained critical to the country’s economic progress, saying his administration would not allow any part of the country to “bleed in silence.”

“No region of Nigeria will be abandoned to violence while this government looks away. We will dismantle the banditry architecture, eliminate terrorist networks and restore the safety that once defined this region,” he said.

Tinubu acknowledged the deep-rooted dysfunction the region had suffered but insisted that northerners must be active participants in rebuilding trust and restoring social harmony.

He said, “The security crisis inherited by this administration is deep, layered and sophisticated. Decades of dysfunction have weakened communal bonds, but hope is not lost. Rebuilding trust across communities is fundamental. Without social harmony, insecurity will persist, economic stagnation will deepen, and educational deficits will widen. The north has not failed, but it can fail the day its leaders retreat from their duty to be their brothers’ keepers.”

The President also hinted at an economic rebound for the region, citing the Kolmani oil project and other major infrastructure initiatives.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin expressed confidence that the north could overcome its security challenges with unity and coordinated action.

Children cried as terrorists invaded – Catholic school principal

Meanwhile, more details have emerged on the abduction of students and staff of St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State.

The school principal, Rev. Sr. Felicia Gyang, in a video clip dated November 21 and obtained by Sunday PUNCH, recounted the attack.

According to Gyang, the attackers broke through multiple gates while children screamed for help.

The incident, which occurred in the early hours of the morning, saw armed men arriving in large numbers, using motorbikes and vehicles to force their way into the school premises.

Gyang explained that past midnight, they were suddenly awakened by bangs on different gates.

“The unfortunate incident happened past 12 when we heard noise, motorbikes, and the sound of cars. Before we knew it, there were serious bangs on different gates in the compound. We got up, and I called my other sisters for us to peep out. When we peeped, we heard noise and children were crying,” she said.

She noted that in the confusion, it was difficult to locate keys to certain gates, forcing her to exit through another gate.

“Apparently, when we were there trying to see what would happen with those that were out of danger at that moment, we could hear the sound of the other bus,” Gyang said.

She added that while attempting to secure some pupils, they also heard distress sounds from other parts of the compound.

Gyang noted that efforts to reach security operatives at the time of the attack were unsuccessful.

“So, we did our best to send this other one out of reach. At the end, we heard the security man at the main gate rowing. We couldn’t hear what he was saying, but after some time, we heard them driving off on bikes. One of us was making calls to see who we could call for help. We tried to call places around where we could get help. We tried the Divisional Police Officer, too, but we couldn’t get through,” she stated.

When asked if the school had received any prior warning from security authorities, Gyang replied, “No, we didn’t receive.”

She also denied that the school was advised to shut down over security concerns.

Also, the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, in a statement signed by the Diocesan Secretary, Rev. Fr. Jatau Joseph, confirmed that the attack took place between 1am and 3am.

The statement indicated that the bandits breached several security points, shot and injured a security personnel, and moved through the school dormitories without resistance.

The church also denied some online reports, stating that all the sisters were on the school compound during the attack, and the principal did not travel to Abuja as claimed.

The statement quoted survivors as stating that the attackers operated aggressively for nearly three hours, moving from room to room before herding the abductees into vans and motorcycles.

The diocese emphasised that the school had earlier taken proactive measures to protect students before the incident.

“Following security threats in May 2021, the management had closed the school for five months and later employed special local security operatives from Kwara State to safeguard pupils, students, and staff.

“The information circulating that we failed to adhere to warnings to shut down boarding facilities, or that we ignored any prior notice before the incident, is not accurate,” the statement said.

The diocese noted that the incident had inflicted trauma on the Papiri community, particularly given the young ages of many victims.

Kidnappers yet to contact parents — CAN chair

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the Chairman of the Niger State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Bulus Yohanna, said kidnappers of the 303 students and 12 staff members of St. Mary’s Catholic Schools had yet to contact families of the victims.

“No, no contact of such,” he said when asked about ransom demands.

He added that parents and school officials were “traumatised,” noting that the principal was “devastated” and the rural community was in no emotional state to speak.

“I’m not a security personnel… that is the duty of the government now,” he said when asked about rescue operations.

More states shut, deboard schools

Meanwhile, states, including Niger, Kebbi and Adamawa, announced fresh measures over the abductions.

The Niger State Government ordered the closure of all public and private schools in the state.

Governor Mohammed Bago, through his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, said the decision was taken after a security meeting.

“All missionary, Islamic schools and Federal Government Colleges, including FGC Minna, have also been shut down until further notice,” he said.

He clarified that tertiary institutions were exempted “except for those in the defined vulnerable areas in the North and East Senatorial Districts.”

Bago urged security agencies, CSOs, labour groups and religious leaders to work collectively to ensure the rescue of the abducted students.

“The overall mission is to see how the kidnapped children and other kidnapped victims will be rescued,” he added.

Following an earlier state government announcement, management of three major tertiary institutions in Kebbi announced an immediate closure.

The affected institutions are Kebbi State Polytechnic, Dakingari; Kebbi State College of Health Sciences and Technology, Jega; and the Abdullahi Fodio University of Science and Technology, Aliero.

All three institutions released separate notices on Saturday directing students to vacate their campuses without delay.

They apologised to students and staff for the disruption, stressing that the precautionary measures were taken to protect lives and prevent potential security breaches.

In Adamawa State, the government directed all boarding schools, public and private, to temporarily operate as day schools.

The directive, contained in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Education and Human Development, Dr Umar Pella, said the measure was aimed at preventing a repeat of the school abductions recorded in Niger and Kebbi states.

Recently, states such as Kwara, Plateau, Katsina and Niger also shut down schools over rising insecurity, while the Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, ordered the deboarding of all schools.

The Federal Ministry of Education, however, clarified that it had not issued any directive for nationwide school closure on November 24, 2025.

Opposition, experts demand new strategy

Opposition parties and security experts urged Tinubu to go beyond replacing service chiefs and pursue deeper structural reforms to address insecurity.

The Interim National Chairman of the Labour Party, Senator Nenadi Usman, said Tinubu must demonstrate “sincerity of purpose” to defeat terrorism.

“You need sincerity of purpose to defeat terrorism. The solution does not lie in the constant change of guards… What Nigeria needs is genuine commitment, not token gestures,” she said through her media aide, Ken Asogwa.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Young Progressives Party, Wale Egbeola-Martins, said foundational problems, not personnel changes, were sustaining insecurity.

“The problems are multi-dimensional and go beyond changing the service chiefs. The problems are foundational,” he said, urging national dialogue similar to pre-independence constitutional conferences.

A security expert and MD of Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited, Kabir Adams, said the surge in attacks on soft targets was linked to the proliferation of armed groups.

He said, “These targets have light protection. The threat actors are about 80.”

Adams blamed policy failures for recurring school attacks, including the poor implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative despite huge budget allocations.

He listed three major factors enabling the attacks: large gatherings in unprotected locations, poor public safety education, and the failure to hamper ransom payments.

He added, “All these 80 groups are weaponised… They move around freely, often on motorcycles. As a country, we have not been able to restrict these movements.”

He commended the military but said other security agencies must be held accountable. He also urged Tinubu to convene a national security summit to review and restructure the entire security architecture.

Another security expert, Jackson Ojo, said the political class must stop its “unnecessary display of wealth,” arguing that systemic rot, not just service chiefs, was undermining security.

“Changing the security chiefs does not translate to a total overhaul. If the system is dirty, nothing will work,” he said.

He blamed insecurity partly on poverty and the widening gap between political elites and ordinary Nigerians.

“The political class should change their lifestyle and stop their oppressive way of life,” he said.

(PUNCH)