165 missing not 130, says Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese
The Federal Government says it has secured the release of 130 kidnapped schoolchildren by gunmen from St Mary's Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, Niger State.
A presidential spokesman, Sunday Dare, announced this on his official X handle on Sunday.
"Another 130 abducted Niger State pupils released, none left in captivity," Dare said in the post on X. A photo of smiling children and a woman accompanied the post.
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However, the Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Kontagora has insisted that, from their count, 165 pupils, students and staff were missing and not 130.
Gunmen suspected to be bandits had, on November 21, stormed the Catholic school, abducting 315 pupils, students and staff. Fifty escaped earlier, and 100 were released afterwards, bringing the total number of victims who regained freedom to 150.
The diocese had previously stated that 165 remained in captivity.
LEADERSHIP had reported that 50 of the students were able to escape 24 hours after the abduction, while 100 of them were released on December 8, leaving 165 still in captivity.
A source informed LEADERSHIP that the children were released yesterday and were seen in several buses led by an armoured personnel carrier, coming out of the National Park forest around the Wawa area of Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
"I saw the children in the buses in a long convoy of armoured carriers, jeeps and buses. They were well guarded and they came out of the National Park forest through Wawa," the source stated.
Another source also hinted that some of the children were released earlier, but the process was not completed until Sunday morning.
A video and pictures showed the movement of vehicles that conveyed the released children and their teachers.
It was reported that the children were not kept in the same camp; hence, they were released separately, based on a process that began on Thursday night.
A source reported that a long convoy of vehicles carrying the children and staff was seen en route to Minna, the Niger State capital, for the official handover of the children to Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago.
The Niger State Command's Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the release of the children.
He said: "The Niger State Police Command wishes to confirm that the remaining batch of the abducted students of St Mary's Catholic School, Papiri, has been released today, 21 December 2025. A total of 130 victims, including staff, have been released. Further developments will be communicated."
However, reacting to the latest development, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, whose diocese owns the school in Papiri, said through his media aide, Dan Atori, that the release was like a Christmas gift for the parents and the school authorities.
He said: "We have not been officially informed, but it is becoming clearer that the children have been released," even as he insisted that the number of children and staff earlier in captivity was 165.
A parent whose three children were among those released, Dauda Chekula, said he heard about the release in the morning but had not been officially informed.He said it was his prayer to reunite safely with his three children.
"This will be a great Christmas for me, and I hope they are all okay. To be frank, I am anxious. We are waiting for the government to call us," he said.
The chief press secretary to the Niger State Governor, Bologi Ibrahim, said the state government would make every update available to the public.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Affairs, Bayo Onanuga, also said that the released Catholic students are expected to arrive in Minna on Monday and reunite with their parents for the Christmas celebration.
Onanuga, in a post on X, said: "The remaining 130 schoolchildren abducted by terrorists at St Mary's Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, on November 21, have now been released. They are expected to arrive in Minna on Monday and rejoin their parents for the Christmas celebration.
"One hundred were released earlier by the terrorists, bringing the total number of freed students to 230.
"The freedom of the schoolchildren followed a military intelligence-driven operation," he said.
Rescued Papiri Students: Abiodun Hails Tinubu, Urges Nigerians to Give Him Massive Support
Ogun State Governor and chairman of the Southern Governors' Forum, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has expressed delight at the release of 130 students of St Mary's Catholic School, Papiri community, Niger State.
He said this was a sign that evil forces would not triumph over Nigeria.
According to the governor, the release of the remaining students, which brings the total number of those rescued to 230, fulfills President Bola Tinubu's pledge to ensure their freedom without harm and to facilitate their reunion with their parents.
Commending the President for the security measures rolled out, which he said had restored Nigerians' confidence in their government, Abiodun said the series of releases of abducted persons, including 24 from Kebbi State, 100 from a Catholic school in Niger State, as well as Christian worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State, showed that the President has the capacity to face Nigeria's challenges head-on.
Abiodun, in a statement issued in Abeokuta on Sunday, said it was particularly heartwarming that the students and their parents would be able to celebrate the Yuletide in warm embrace after the terrible ordeal.
He urged the security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators are prosecuted to the fullest extent allowed by law.
He said: "I am highly delighted to learn that the remaining 130 students of St Mary's Catholic School, Papiri community, Niger State, who were hitherto in captivity, have been released.
"The students, their parents, the Papiri community and the government of Niger State have all been through a lot, and I rejoice with them in this moment of triumph over the forces of darkness who seized innocent students from their hostels and their teachers from the school grounds.
"If this incident shows anything, it is the fact that the Bola Tinubu administration is committed to a safe, secure and prosperous Nigeria and deserves our collective prayers and moral support.
"The President is determined to tackle the upsurge in kidnapping and terrorist attacks and bring sanity back to our society, which will inevitably restore the confidence of Nigerians and the international community in the government and lead to massive development."
The governor also praised the security agencies for achieving the feat.
"I also urge them to ensure that the terrorists behind the attacks on innocent and law-abiding Nigerians are hunted down and prosecuted to the fullest extent allowed by law," he added.
FG Confirms Rescue of All 230 Abducted Papiri Schoolchildren
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The Federal Government has confirmed the successful rescue of the remaining 130 children and staff abducted from St Mary's Catholic School, Papiri, in Niger State, bringing the total number of freed pupils to 230 and marking the end of the ordeal.
In a statement issued to journalists yesterday in Abuja, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the release of the final batch of abductees represents a moment of triumph and relief for the nation, particularly for the affected families.
"As it is, the Federal Government can confirm that all the abducted pupils of the Catholic school in Papiri, numbering 230, have been freed. Not a single pupil is left in captivity," he said.
According to him, the recently rescued 130 pupils are being handed over to the Niger State Government and will subsequently be reunited with their families.
The minister described the operation as a courageous effort by Nigeria's security forces, noting that it reaffirmed the country's resolve to protect its citizens, especially vulnerable children.
"This courageous effort by our security forces reaffirms our nation's resolve to protect its people," Idris stated.
He added that the Federal Government deeply empathises with the parents and guardians of the pupils over the trauma caused by the abduction and extended goodwill messages to the families as they reunite.
"The Federal Government empathises with the parents and guardians of the pupils over the agony the abduction has caused them and wishes them a pleasant family reunion, a smooth healing process, compliments of the season and a Merry Christmas," the statement said.
The rescue operation brings closure to a painful chapter for the affected community and caps the year with renewed hope, as authorities reaffirm their commitment to improving security and safeguarding schools across the country.
