The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State says it has yet to receive any communication from the gunmen who abducted pupils and teachers of St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, nearly a week after the attack.
Bishop Bulus Yohanna, Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese and Chairman of CAN in the state, gave the latest update on Friday.
He confirmed that 315 people were initially taken during the November 21 raid, including 303 pupils and 12 teachers.
“So far, we have not had any contact with them. As I’m speaking now, we’ve not had any call regarding the abductors,” he said.
The attackers stormed the school in Agwara Local Government Area between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., shooting a security guard before rounding up the victims.
Bishop Yohanna explained that a recount and subsequent calls from parents revealed that 50 pupils and some staff initially thought missing had returned home.
“Now, as we started receiving calls from parents, we were able to get 50 out of the 315, including staff that could not be accounted for,” he said. “Out of that number, we deducted them from the 315. We now have 265 as of now. That is the number that is missing.”
He added that he has been in direct communication with the DSS in Kontagora and that the school has already provided full statements and the list of missing persons to the local police division.
The Niger State Government has since ordered the closure of all schools and deployed tactical units, ground troops, and local hunters to help locate the abducted students and teachers.