Terrorists have attacked St Mary’s School, a Catholic-owned institution in Papiri community, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, and abducted an unconfirmed number of students and staff.
The attack took place in the early hours of Friday.
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Local officials told PREMIUM TIMES that the school was compiling its records and could not yet determine the number of people taken.
A source in one of the Catholic churches in Niger State confirmed the incident, stating that the church would issue an official statement after completing its investigation.
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The Head of Department for Disaster and Relief in Agwara Local Government, Ahmed Rofia, also confirmed the attack with Daily Trust by telephone.
He said the gunmen invaded the school between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. and that authorities were still assessing the scale of the abductions.
PREMIUM TIMES contacted the spokesperson of the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, for confirmation.
He said he was aware of the enquiry and would provide details when available. “I know what you are calling. I will get the details and get back to you,” he said. When pressed to confirm the incident, he added, “I need to get the details before. I will get back to you. Just give me time.”
Papiri is about 70 kilometers from Babana axis, where Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate in the Sahel, announced its presence in July.
The abduction happened less than a week after a similar abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi State.
Papiri town is one of the 10 political wards in the Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State.
A source in Rofia, a town 30 kilometres away from where the incident happened, also confirmed the incident.
The source whose name has been withheld for security reasons said residents of the town estimated that the terrorists came with 60 motorcycles and a van.
“They packed the students and their teachers in the van and went away with them,” he said.
Bello Gidi, the spokesperson for Agwara Local Government Chairperson Ilyasu Zakari, confirmed the attack, stating that efforts are ongoing to gather “factual details of the incident.”
The raid occurred days after 25 students were kidnapped in Maga, Kebbi State, adding to rising concern over attacks on schools in the region.
On Thursday, more than 50 schools were shut across parts of Kwara State following repeated bandit incursions.
President Bola Tinubu cancelled planned trips to South Africa and Angola this week to coordinate a response to the worsening security situation.
