iDeemlawfulEleven additional students kidnapped from St. Mary’s School in the Papiri community of Agwara LGA, Niger State, have regained their freedom.
Usman Baba, Permanent Secretary of the Niger State Ministry of Information, confirmed the development in an interview with Arise TV.
He stated that the schoolchildren were recovered through a coordinated effort by security personnel.
“This was made possible through a coordinated response. The bandits do not operate from a fixed location and were unable to move with all the students. As they moved, they left some students behind,” he said.
He noted that the Niger State government has set up a trauma centre to support the rescued children and their parents.
On November 21, armed men stormed the school and abducted 315 people — including 303 students and 12 teachers.
On Sunday, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State announced that fifty of the abducted students had escaped captivity.
The association explained that the pupils regained freedom between Friday and Saturday and “quietly reunited with their families”.
Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Niger State chapter of CAN and Catholic bishop of Kontagora diocese, said the pupils who fled could not immediately return to the school but were located after officials contacted and visited some parents.
According to the diocese, 265 individuals — consisting of 239 nursery and primary pupils, 14 secondary students, and 12 staff members — remain held by the abductors.
With the rescue of the additional 11 children, 254 individuals are still in captivity.
