An atmosphere of fear has gripped the Papiri community in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State after gunmen abducted an unconfirmed number of students and staff of St. Mary’s School, a Catholic-owned institution, during a late-night raid.
The attackers were said to have stormed the school between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m., moving in quietly before whisking away several people. As of Friday morning, the exact number of abductees remained unclear, as school officials were still taking stock of those missing.
According to Daily Trust, “Source within the Catholic community in Niger State confirmed the incident but said an official statement would be released later.
“Yes, it happened, but I’m not in a position to give full details. The church will speak on it.”
Similarly, the Spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said the command would provide updates once information was fully compiled.
However, the Head of Disaster and Relief at Agwara Local Government, Ahmed Abdullahi Rofia, confirmed the attack, noting that authorities were still trying to determine how many students and staff were taken.
“The terrorists came around 2 to 3 a.m. We are still assessing the situation. The number of abducted persons is not yet known,” he said.
The incident comes just days after a similar assault in Maga, Kebbi State, where 25 students were kidnapped, further exposing the vulnerability of schools across northern Nigeria. Discovererngr.com reports that just few days ago, more than 50 schools were ordered shut in parts of Kwara State following heightened bandit activities.
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