“They Warned Us Not To Make Noise”: Rescued Niger Pupils Reveal Ordeal As Kidnappers Forced Them To Sleep On Trampoline In Bush

Minna, Niger State– A freed pupil of St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, Niger State, has revealed how she and her classmates were kept by armed kidnappers in a bush near a river for days, forced to lie on a trampoline and threatened with violence if they made any sound.

Florence Michael, one of the 100 abducted children formally handed over to the Niger State Government on Monday, opened up about their ordeal shortly after the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, represented by Wing Commander Abdullahi Idi Hong, transferred custody of the pupils to state authorities.

“They told us if we make noise, they would beat us and we would not go back home,” Florence said.

She added that the kidnappers spread a trampoline on the ground for the children to lie on and repeatedly warned them to remain silent to avoid punishment.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the pupils were kidnapped on November 21 from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri community, Agwara LGA—an attack that sparked national outrage and renewed concerns over the safety of schools, especially in rural areas.

Florence pleaded with the government to intensify protections for schoolchildren across the country, saying no child deserves the fear and uncertainty they endured.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, NSA Ribadu stated that the children were freed through a coordinated intelligence and tactical operation involving the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Department of State Services (DSS), the Armed Forces, and other security agencies.

He assured Nigerians that the federal government is rolling out immediate short-term security measures in high-risk areas while also working with state governments, traditional rulers, and religious leaders to craft long-term, community-centered security solutions.

“We will not allow insecurity to deny any child the right to education,” Ribadu insisted.

Receiving the children at Government House, Minna, Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago described their rescue as “a major relief” for parents and the entire state.

He thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting the operation and pledged that ongoing efforts would ensure the rescue of others still held by the gunmen.

Bago said the freed pupils would undergo comprehensive medical evaluations before being reunited with their families, adding that the state government is working closely with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to coordinate their safe return.

Meanwhile, security operatives retrieved the pupils around 7:00 p.m. on Sunday after the abductors dropped them at a location between Lumma and Wawa towns in Borgu Local Government Area.

From there, the children were conveyed over a long overnight journey—from New Bussa through the Mokwa–Bida–Minna axis—to Government House, Minna, where the governor and security officials received them.