December 22, (THEWILL) — Exactly a month after they were abducted on November 21, 2025 alongside 100 others, the remaining 130 victims of the 230 kidnapped pupils, students and teachers of St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State have regained freedom.
Some 50 pupils had escaped from their abductors while 100 were rescued by the security agencies two weeks ago. They were all kidnapped along with 12 teachers by gunmen who stormed the boarding school in the wee hours of November 17, 2025. The release of the 130 pupils brings the total number of freed victims to 230. Officials of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) confirmed the development to journalists in Abuja on Sunday. The officials said that all the victims have been released.
According to the officials who failed to disclose details about the release of the last batch of victims, the release was achieved through sustained security pressure and coordinated efforts by relevant agencies. The specific details of the operation were not disclosed. However, the Police Command in Niger State confirmed the release of the remaining 130 abducted students and staff on Sunday night. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Sunday in Minna.
Abiodun said the remaining batch of the victims was released on Sunday, bringing an end to the ordeal of the abducted students and staff of the school.
He explained that a total of 130 victims, including staff members of the school, were released in the latest development. The police spokesman assured the public that further developments on the matter would be communicated as necessary. Also confirming the release, a Presidential Spokesperson, Sunday Dare announced this on his official X handle on Sunday.
THEWILL recalls that the release of the students and pupils in batches had created weeks of anguish and anxiety for the parents, stakeholders, authorities of the school and the public. In fact, two anguished parents died when the abduction dragged on while other abductees during the same period regained freedom within a week of their abduction. These were the 24 schoolgirls abducted on November 17, 2025 from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
They were rescued a week later on November 25, 2025. Similarly, 38 worshippers who on November 18, 2025 were abducted during a vigil at Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, also regained freedom six days later on November 23, 2025.
Confirming the death of the two parents, Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna of Kontagora Diocese said they had children among those abducted from the Catholic School in Niger State. “The man, Anthony Musa, died of a heart attack, but regarding the woman, we don’t have the details yet because we couldn’t reach the family,” Bishop Yohanna stated. When the first batch of 100 victims regained freedom, Bishop Yohanna who is in charge of the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in Niger State disputed the government’s statement about their freedom.
It took the OLA Sisters who run the school under the auspices of the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, which is part of the Kaduna Ecclesiastical Province, to confirm the release of the first batch of 100. Sister. Mary T. Barron of the Congregation Leaders of the OLA Sisters provided an update on the release of the 100 students.
She said, “It was with great joy that we welcomed the news on 14 December that 100 people had been freed: 14 secondary school students, 1 staff member, 80 primary school children and 5 nursery school children. “However, this joy is tempered with ongoing anguish and concern for the safety of the remaining 165: – 11 staff members, 35 children from the nursery school and 119 from the primary school. These children range from age 5 to 12/13.”
The successful release of all the students and pupils draws the curtain to days of anxiety and uncertainty for families of the victims and marks a significant breakthrough for security agencies involved in the rescue operation.
The abduction of the pupils and students had sparked nationwide outrage and renewed concerns over the safety of educational institutions, particularly in vulnerable and rural communities. In response to the crisis, President Bola Tinubu cancelled scheduled foreign trips to personally oversee the rescue efforts, a move that underscored the gravity of the situation. The incident also led to the indefinite closure of schools in Niger State and several federal institutions located in high-risk areas across the country.
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