JUST IN: 88 More Students Missing After Terrorists Attack In Niger School

The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora has announced that an additional 88 students have been declared missing following Friday’s terrorist attack on St Mary Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State.

Many parents who rushed to the school after news of the attack reportedly could not find their children, deepening panic across communities.

Terrorists had stormed the school in the early hours of Friday, abducting students and staff in yet another mass kidnapping targeting educational institutions.

Providing an update on Saturday morning, the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, said the number of missing students has risen to 303, up from the initial figure of 215 announced on Friday.

He said four female teachers and eight male teachers were also taken by the attackers.

According to the Bishop, the school has 430 pupils in its primary section and 199 students in the secondary school, making the scale of the abduction one of the worst recorded since the 2024 Kuriga incident.

Reacting to the Niger State Government’s claim that schools received a security circular, Bishop Yohanna refuted the assertion, insisting that neither the diocese nor the school management received any warning.

Through his aide, Daniel Atori, the Bishop stated: “We have asked the Education Secretary if he received a circular, he said no. Or if he was asked to send any to us, he said no. We asked if he was verbally informed, he also said no.”

He continued: “Let them tell the world who they gave the circular to, or through what channel they sent it. We also asked the National Association of Private Schools, they did not get any such circular.”

The Bishop further dismissed reports that the school had been reopened after a shutdown, insisting the institution had complied fully with regulations.

“They claimed the school was shutdown and reopened a few days ago. That is not true. We are law-abiding,” he said.

The attack comes just days after similar abductions in Kebbi and Kwara states, fueling concerns over coordinated assaults on schools across northern Nigeria.

However, security agencies have yet to provide a detailed update on ongoing search-and-rescue operations.