Armed bandits have attacked St Mary’s Girls’ School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State, abducting an unconfirmed number of students in the early hours of Friday.

The incident occurred four days after a separate attack on Girls’ Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State.
A source in Papiri, who asked not to be named, told our correspondent that the assailants arrived at about 2:00 a.m. in large numbers, riding motorcycles.

“When the bandits entered the town, they snatched a car which they used to convey the abducted students. Unfortunately, a few metres away from the school, the car developed mechanical fault and was abandoned. Some of the students used the opportunity to escape into bushes,” the source said.

He added that other students scaled the school fence during the attack. The number of pupils taken from the school had not been confirmed at the time of filing this report.

The Niger State Government, reacting through the Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Usman, said it received the news of the abduction “with deep sadness”.

The statement noted that the government had earlier issued a directive suspending construction activities and ordering the temporary closure of all boarding schools in parts of Niger North following intelligence pointing to elevated security threats.

“The Niger State Government has received with deep sadness the disturbing news of the kidnapping of pupils from St. Mary’s School in Agwara Local Government Area. The exact number of abducted pupils is yet to be confirmed as security agencies continue to assess the situation,” the statement read. “This unfortunate incident comes despite prior intelligence report obtained by the government indicating an increased threat level in parts of Niger North Senatorial District. In response to these credible security alerts, the State Government had earlier issued a clear directive suspending all construction activities and ordering the temporary closure of all boarding schools within the affected zone as a precautionary measure.

“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.

“Security agencies have since commenced a full-scale investigation and search-and-rescue operations to ensure the safe return of the pupils. The Niger State Government is in close communication with all relevant security formations and will provide continuous updates as more information becomes available.”

Usman said security agencies had begun a full investigation and search-and-rescue effort. He stated that the government was maintaining communication with security formations and would provide further updates.

The government urged school proprietors and community leaders to comply with issued security advisories and asked the public to assist security agencies with useful information. It reaffirmed that protecting lives, particularly those of schoolchildren, remains its priority.