Abuja / Minna — The number of people abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara LGA, Niger State has risen to 315, the Niger State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has confirmed.
Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, CAN Chairman and Catholic Bishop of Kontagora, said the updated figure includes 303 students and 12 teachers, after a detailed census and verification exercise. According to him, 88 additional students who were initially believed to have escaped were later found missing.
Yohanna also dismissed claims by the Niger State Government that it had issued a “clear security directive” for school closures. He said the school received no circular or warning prior to the attack, calling such allegations “propaganda aimed at shifting blame.
Parents, church leaders, and community figures are calling for intensified search-and-rescue operations, while CAN says it is working closely with security agencies to secure the safe return of all abducted children and staff.
— Dalena Reporters