Terrorists launched a deadly attack on St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State in the early hours of Friday, November 21, 2025, abducting students, pupils, teachers and inflicting severe injuries on a security guard.
The armed men reportedly stormed the school at about 1:00 a.m. and operated for nearly two hours before escaping with an unconfirmed number of victims.
Father Jatau Luka Joseph, Diocesan Secretary of the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, confirmed the incident, condemned the abduction, and expressed hope that the students and staff would be rescued safely.
The Niger State Police Command also confirmed the attack. Police Public Relations Officer, SP W.A. Abiodun, said the command received reports around 2:00 a.m. indicating that armed bandits had invaded the school’s hostel and kidnapped several students.
Abiodun said police tactical teams and military units had been deployed to the area and were combing surrounding forests to locate and rescue the abductees.
He added that the incident would be thoroughly investigated, noting that the school had continued academic activities despite a government directive ordering schools in the area to close due to ongoing security threats.
In an official statement, the Commissioner of Police, CP Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to rescuing the victims unharmed and urged the public to remain calm and support ongoing security operations.
The police assured that further actions would be taken against the school management for disregarding the state’s safety directive.
