The Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese and Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, has confirmed that there has been no communication from the kidnappers who abducted pupils and teachers from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area.
“So far, we have not had any contact with them. As I’m speaking now, we’ve not had any call regarding the abductors,” Yohanna said during an interview with Channels Television on Friday.
The attack occurred in the early hours of 21 November, when gunmen stormed the school, reportedly shooting a security guard and abducting pupils, students, and teachers. Initial reports indicated that 215 pupils and 12 teachers were missing.
Following a verification exercise involving security operatives, community leaders, and diocesan officials, the total number of abducted persons was revised to 315, comprising 303 pupils and 12 teachers.
Fifty pupils have since escaped and reunited with their families, leaving 265 still unaccounted for.
Yohanna described the assailants’ attempts to breach the convent, which were unsuccessful.
“I think the first attempt was to see if they could break through where the sisters are living. That didn’t happen. They were not able to break the place because when they came to the gate, they were asking, ‘Where are the sisters living?’ The gateman said, ‘Well, they work here, but they don’t live here.’ So they shot him and then forced the gate open,” he said.
The gunmen also attempted to force gates separating the convent from the school before entering the dormitories and abducting students.
“They shot into the air, and everyone was scared. So many of them tried to escape, or many escaped into the bushes around. At the end of the day, they were able to make their way with some of them, and we don’t know the exact number of pupils, students, and teachers taken away,” Yohanna said.
Responding to claims that the school had prior warning of an attack, the bishop said: “Well, what I do know is that in 2021/2022, we had rumours that the school would be attacked. So what we did was to shut down the school immediately. We reinforced the security system there, relocated students who were to write their final exams to Kontagora, and built the security fence. Since then, we have not had anything—no verbal warning, no written warning—until this incident happened.”
Yohanna also confirmed ongoing communication with security agencies.
“The one I’ve been communicating with is the DSS in Kontagora, who has been calling me. Most of the information we have, especially the details, I’ve forwarded to him. The police at the DPO in Kontagora called to say that the sisters are to go and make a statement, which we have sent them, and they are going to give the details and the names of all those missing,” he said.
On the state of the parents, he added: “Of course, they are traumatised and worried. We are praying and hoping that by the grace of God, their children will be released. Everyone is traumatised.”
Yohanna stressed that, while his diocese has taken steps to improve security, the broader issue of school safety in Niger State and Nigeria remains a pressing concern.
