Breaking: Over 100 Students Kidnapped from Missionary School in Niger State ….Taken Away in Two Trucks

Armed men suspected to be bandits attacked a missionary school in Papiri Ward, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State in the early hours of Friday, abducting over 100 students.

According to community sources, the assailants stormed St.

Mary Primary and Secondary School around 3:00 a.m. The school, which has been in operation for more than five decades and runs both day and boarding programmes, is widely known for delivering quality education across the Borgu Kingdom.

A resident of Papiri said the armed men, who came heavily equipped, first surrounded the entire community before breaking into the hostels and herding the students into two Mitsubishi Canter trucks waiting outside.

“As usual, they fired multiple shots into the air to scare people off when they arrived,” the source recounted.

This attack comes just about two weeks after gunmen ambushed the convoy of Hon. Jafaru Mohammed Ali, the federal lawmaker representing Agwara/Borgu Constituency, in the same region, killing six soldiers.

As of the time of filing this report, the number of casualties is still unclear, and neither the school authorities nor the Niger State Government has released an official statement.

However, the Niger State Police Command has confirmed the incident. In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said, “On 21st November 2025 at about 2:00 a.m., a report was received that armed bandits invaded St. Mary’s Private (Catholic) Secondary School, Papiri, Agwara LGA, and abducted a yet-to-be-determined number of students from the hostel.”

He stated that police tactical teams, military units, and other security agencies have been dispatched to the area and are currently searching surrounding forests to rescue the missing students.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, reaffirmed the Command’s determination to ensure the safe return of the victims and urged residents to remain calm and support the ongoing operations.

The statement further noted that the incident would be fully investigated and that appropriate measures would be taken against the school management for continuing academic activities despite a state directive ordering the closure of schools in the area due to rising insecurity.