BREAKING: Federal Government Secures Release Of 100 Children Abducted From Niger School, Days After Mass Kidnapping

Abuja,  Nigeria- The Federal Government has secured the release of 100 schoolchildren abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, officials confirmed on Sunday.

The rescue marks the first major breakthrough since armed bandits stormed the remote Papiri community on 21 November 2025, arriving around 2:00 a.m. on motorbikes and abducting 315 people—including 303 students and 12 teachers—during a three-hour assault on the school’s dormitories.

Afrika Eyes gathered that the children were freed following “intense multi-agency operations” involving the military, police tactical units, and community volunteer hunters who have been combing forests across Niger, Kebbi, and Kwara States.

In the chaotic hours after the abduction, 50 pupils escaped on the first day and reunited with their families. Until this latest development, 265 people—253 children and the 12 abducted teachers—remained in captivity.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government launched one of its largest hostage-recovery operations in recent years, imposing a 24-hour security cordon around the tri-state border region and deploying air surveillance assets to track the kidnappers’ movement.

President Bola Tinubu cancelled planned international engagements and ordered security chiefs to remain on ground until “every child is accounted for.”

However, authorities also shut down all schools in Niger State and instructed federal institutions in high-risk zones to suspend academic activities indefinitely.