The attack, which occurred around 2:00 a.m., saw heavily armed gunmen storm the hostels on motorbikes over a three-hour period, abducting 315 persons—303 students and 12 teachers.
Security operatives and community hunters launched immediate search operations into surrounding forests to track the kidnappers. Within the first 24 hours, 50 students managed to escape and were reunited with their families. However, 265 victims—253 children and 12 staff members—remained missing.
In a statement, the Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Usman, condemned the attack, noting that authorities had earlier received credible intelligence warning of heightened security threats across parts of the Niger North Senatorial District. He said the government promptly ordered the temporary closure of boarding schools and suspension of construction activities in high-risk communities.
Usman disclosed that the attacked school allegedly reopened without official clearance—a claim the school’s management strongly denied.
The incident drew global attention, including a message of concern from Pope Leo XIV.
In response, the Federal Government deployed a 24-hour security cordon and activated aerial surveillance across parts of Niger, Kebbi, and Kwara States. President Bola Tinubu cancelled a scheduled foreign trip to coordinate the rescue effort.
Following the attack, the government also ordered the indefinite closure of all schools across Niger State and federal institutions located in vulnerable regions nationwide.
FG’s Reassurance
During a visit to stakeholders last week, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu assured parents that the abducted children “are doing fine and will return soon.”
He conveyed President Tinubu’s message of hope to the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, and the families of the victims at St. Michael’s Catholic Cathedral, Kontagora.
“God is with them and God is with us. Evil will never prevail. They will return safely. I assure you,” Ribadu said.
The rescue operations are ongoing and considered one of the most extensive anti-kidnapping missions launched in recent years.
