In the early hours of Friday morning, terrorists invaded St. Mary’s Private Catholic Secondary School in Papiri, located in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State. According to local officials and community sources, the attackers abducted dozens of students and at least one teacher in a coordinated raid.
Eyewitnesses say the gunmen struck between 2 am and 3am, firing sporadically and creating panic among students who were still asleep. Local authorities report that more than a dozen pupils may have been taken, though some community members claim the number could be much higher. An aid worker in Agwara said preliminary estimates suggest over 100 students and teachers may have been kidnapped, but exact figures remain unverified.
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The head of disaster response for the Agwara local government confirmed the abduction to regional media outlets and added that parents and community leaders are distraught. The incident has revived fears about the safety of schools in Nigeria’s north, particularly as this attack comes just days after the high-profile abduction of 25 girls from a girls’ boarding school in Kebbi State.
Security agencies are yet to issue a formal statement confirming the full scale of the raid. The Niger State Police Public Relations Officer has said that efforts to verify the incident are ongoing. Meanwhile, several community leaders are calling on the federal government to step up protections around vulnerable schools and to hold those responsible accountable.
This latest attack underscores the persistent threat that armed groups pose to educational institutions in Nigeria’s northern region, where kidnappings for ransom and terror attacks have become distressingly common. As families await news of their loved ones, the raid raises fresh questions about how long it will take for meaningful protection for students to become a reality.
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