Papiri, Agwara, Niger State – November 24, 2025 – In a harrowing escalation of Nigeria’s ongoing security crisis, armed gunmen stormed St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in the Papiri community of Agwara Local Government Area early on Friday, November 21, abducting a total of 303 students and 12 teachers in one of the largest school kidnappings the country has witnessed in recent years. The attack, which unfolded around 2:00 a.m. local time, has left families in anguish and prompted sweeping emergency measures across the state.
According to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the primary body coordinating with local church leaders and families, the gunmen—locally referred to as bandits—arrived on approximately 60-70 motorcycles and several pickup trucks, overpowering the school’s minimal security. They targeted the hostels, herding students and staff into the surrounding bush. Initial reports from police and state officials cited an undetermined number of victims, but CAN’s verification on Saturday, November 22, confirmed the full toll: 315 individuals taken captive in total.
In a glimmer of hope amid the despair, CAN reported on Sunday, November 23, that 50 pupils managed to escape during the chaos, fleeing into the night and reuniting with their families by trekking back to the community. Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, CAN’s chairman in Niger State, expressed cautious relief in a statement: “As much as we receive the return of these 50 children that escaped with some sigh of relief, I urge you all to continue in your prayers for the rescue and safe return of the remaining victims.” This leaves more than 250 students and all 12 teachers still held captive, with no communication from the abductors regarding ransom demands as of this report.
Eyewitness accounts from escaped students and local residents paint a scene of terror: the assailants fired sporadically to quell resistance, leaving dormitories in disarray with scattered belongings, empty beds, and bloodstains from the shooting of the school’s security guard, who remains in critical condition. The victims, primarily aged 12 to 17 and including a significant number of girls, were primarily secondary students, though the institution also serves primary pupils. No group has claimed responsibility, but sources suspect involvement by criminal bandit gangs prevalent in the northwest and north-central regions, known for such raids to extort ransoms.
The Niger State Government has attributed part of the vulnerability to the school’s decision to reopen boarding facilities without clearance. In the days prior, following intelligence of heightened threats in the Niger North Senatorial District, authorities had issued directives suspending construction activities and mandating the temporary closure of all boarding schools in the affected zones. St. Mary’s, a Catholic institution under the Diocese of Kontagora, disregarded this order and resumed academic activities, exposing pupils and staff to what officials described as “avoidable risk.
Abubakar Usman, Secretary to the Niger State Government, conveyed the administration’s grief in an official statement: “The Niger state government has received with deep sadness the disturbing news of the kidnapping of pupils from St Mary’s School in Ag0wara local government area.” The Niger State Police Command confirmed the incursion in a 2:00 a.m. alert, noting that tactical units, military personnel, and local hunters were immediately deployed to comb the forests for rescue operations. As of November 24, search efforts continue without breakthroughs, though Governor Umaru Bago publicly commended the security forces for their “rapid and effective response” during a briefing.
In direct response, the state government convened an emergency security meeting on November 22, resulting in the indefinite closure of all public and private primary and secondary schools statewide, including missionary, Islamic, and federal institutions like the Federal Government College in Minna. This measure affects thousands of students and aims to prevent further incidents amid rising panic.Nationally, President Bola Tinubu postponed his attendance at the G20 summit in South Africa to oversee the crisis, while the Federal Ministry of Education ordered the shutdown of 47 federal unity colleges, predominantly in northern states.
This abduction marks the second major school attack in Nigeria within a week, following the November 18 seizure of 25 schoolgirls from a boarding school in neighboring Kebbi State, where the vice-principal was killed despite prior security warnings. It echoes a decade-long pattern of violence, including the 2021 kidnapping of 135 pupils from an Islamic seminary in Niger State (where six died in captivity) and the infamous 2014 Chibok abduction of over 200 girls by Boko Haram—events that have seen more than 1,500 students taken across the region, often for financial gain.
International condemnation has poured in, with UNESCO denouncing the attack and calling for strengthened implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration to bolster protections for education amid armed threats.The Vatican, through Vatican News, expressed solidarity with the victims’ families, while U.S. officials, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, highlighted concerns over violence targeting Christian communities during discussions with Nigerian counterparts.
As rescue operations intensify, communities in Agwara and beyond hold vigils, with CAN leading prayers for the swift and safe return of the remaining captives. Clarion Newschannel will continue monitoring developments in this unfolding tragedy.
Tragic Mass Abduction at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State: Over 300 Students and Teachers Seized by Armed Gunmen
