More than 50 children were taken from a school by armed terrorists in a recent incident at St Mary’s Papiri Private Catholic Secondary School in Agwara, Niger State, Nigeria. The abduction of 52 students occurred early Friday morning when assailants raided the school premises.

Law enforcement tactical teams, military forces, and security agencies have been dispatched to the area to search the nearby forests in an effort to locate the missing students. The authorities have confirmed that the students were forcibly taken from the school’s dormitories by the attackers around 2am, although the exact number of abducted students and their identities have not been disclosed.

The Niger State Police Command issued a statement confirming the armed bandits’ invasion of St. Mary’s Private (Catholic) Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara LGA, and the abduction of an unknown number of students from the school’s hostel. The police, military, and security forces are actively engaged in operations to rescue the kidnapped students.

Furthermore, authorities expressed concerns over the school’s operational status despite security advisories for closure. The Commissioner of Police, Niger State Command, CP Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, reiterated the commitment to safely rescue the students and urged the public to cooperate with security efforts. He also assured that an investigation will be conducted and appropriate measures taken against the school management for defying the government’s closure directive due to security concerns.

This incident follows a similar attack five days earlier on the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Maga, Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi, where armed bandits abducted 26 students. Two students managed to escape, while the remaining 24 schoolgirls are still in captivity, causing distress to their families and the school community. The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Halima Bande, expressed the gravity of the situation and the emotional toll it has taken on everyone involved.