Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago had assured parents and residents that the state government is working round the clock with security agencies to rescue the students and staff of a Catholic school abducted from
the state safely.
He expressed deep sympathy for the parents of children abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area, saying he feels their pain and shares in their anguish.
The governor spoke on the incident at an executive retreat for commissioners-designate, chairmen-elect, special advisers and permanent secretaries held at the government house in Minna.
265 pupils, students and staff of the school were abducted on November 21, 2025, when suspected bandits attacked the school. The attackers reportedly shot and wounded the security guards before forcing the victims into the forest.
Speaking at the retreat, Bago described the abduction as heartbreaking and condemnable.
“Before we go into the sessions ahead, I must speak from the heart on a matter that concerns us all the unfortunate abduction of schoolchildren and teachers at St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri. This has left our state deeply worried,” he said.
“As the chief security officer of the state and a parent myself, I feel the pain of every mother and father anxiously waiting for their children to return home. I want to assure you that we are fully committed to the safety of the children and to securing their release,” the governor emphasized.