Terrorists in the early hours of Friday morning, stormed St. Mary’s Papiri Private Catholic Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, abducting an unspecified number of students and teachers.
Community residents who visited the school after the attack confirmed the invasion.
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The invasion is considered a coordinated operation that reportedly lasted between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m.
The Niger State Police Command said the abductions took place in the early hours of Friday and that military and security forces have since been deployed to the community.
The statement by the secretary to the Niger state government said the incident occurred despite prior intelligence warning of heightened threats.
“Regrettably, St. Mary´s School proceeded to reopen and resume academic activities without notifying or seeking clearance from the State Government, thereby exposing pupils and the staff to avoidable risk,” it read.
The abductions took place after gunmen attacked a high school in Kebbi state in northwestern Nigeria before dawn on Monday, taking 25 schoolgirls and killing at least one staffer.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Umar Bago has blamed the management of St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School for the abduction of students in Papiri community, Agwara LGA.
The government described the incident as avoidable, noting that a red alert had been issued weeks earlier warning schools in Niger North about credible threats of terrorist attacks. The directive had ordered all boarding schools in the zone to remain closed.
Investigations now show that St. Mary’s School reopened and resumed activities without government approval, in clear violation of the security order.
According to the Governor, through the Secretary to the State Government, the tragedy could have been prevented if the school had complied. Rescue operations are ongoing, with additional security deployments and a full investigation underway.
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