The remaining students and teachers abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, have regained their freedom, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt from local residents and security sources.
A security official familiar with the rescue operation confirmed that those released account for all the remaining victims taken during the 21 November attack on the school. The exact number of the latest batch of freed abductees, however, could not be immediately ascertained.
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The victims were among students and teachers seized when armed assailants, riding on motorcycles, stormed the boarding school at about 2:00 a.m.
The attackers reportedly operated for nearly three hours, moving systematically from one dormitory to another before marching their captives into nearby forests.
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At least 50 students escaped during the raid, while scores of others were taken away. On 8 December, security agencies secured the release of about 100 abductees, leaving an unspecified number in captivity until the latest breakthrough.
Sources said the freed students and teachers are currently being transported to Minna, the Niger State capital, where they are expected to undergo medical checks and reunite with their families.
READ ALSO: What the Catholic school kidnapping tells us about Nigeria’s security crisis
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Federal Government nor the Niger State Government has issued an official statement on the development.
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Following the abduction in November, the Federal Government imposed a security cordon around border communities and deployed ground troops and aerial surveillance across parts of Niger, Kebbi and Kwara States to track the kidnappers.
President Bola Tinubu also cancelled an official trip to personally coordinate rescue efforts, while authorities ordered the temporary closure of schools across Niger State and some federal institutions located in high-risk areas.
This is a developing story. More details shortly.
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