By Abiola Olawale
The Niger State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has disclosed that 303 students were abducted during the attack on St. Mary’s School in the Papiri community of Niger State.
The chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Niger State chapter, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, made this known in a statement released on Saturday through his media aide, Daniel Atori, stating that the number of abducted students was obtained from a verification exercise and final census.
The Bishop also stated that the management of St Mary Private Primary and Secondary schools, as well as the National Association of Private Schools, did not receive any prior government circular instructing the closure of secondary schools in the area before the attack.
The statement reads in part: “The total number of victims abducted from St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area is now 303 students and 12 teachers.
“After leaving the school, we made calls and conducted a verification exercise to confirm the status of those we thought had escaped. We discovered that 88 more students had been captured while attempting to flee. This came to light when parents, whose children we believed were safe, inquired about them. It prompted us to carry out a full census, which revealed the higher number.”
“At present, 303 students, both male and female, and 12 teachers—four female and eight male—remain abducted, bringing the total number of victims to 315. The school’s enrollment stands at 629, with 430 in the primary section and 199 in the secondary section.
“Contrary to rumours, no circular or warning was received from the government or security agencies. This narrative appears to be an afterthought aimed at shifting blame. In 2022, when security concerns arose, the school shut down immediately. We have always complied with security advisories, whether formal or informal.
‘The school is owned by the Catholic Diocese, not any individual. No Reverend Sisters travelled to Abuja, as alleged. Anyone making such claims should provide proof or retract the statements. Our Education Secretary confirmed he received no circulars, written or verbal, and the National Association of Private Schools also received none.’”
