The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State has announced that fifty students abducted from St Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara LGA, have managed to escape from their captors.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, the Niger State CAN chairman and Catholic bishop of the Kontagora Diocese, confirmed that the pupils gained their freedom between Friday and Saturday and “quietly reunited with their families”.
Yohanna explained that the students who escaped did not immediately return to the school, which prompted officials to reach out to parents to verify their safety.
“The pupils escaped between Friday and Saturday and have reunited with their parents as they could not return to the school after they escaped,” the statement reads.
“We were able to ascertain this when we decided to contact and visit some parents.
“Note that, in the primary section out of the total number of 430 pupils we have in the school, 377 of them are boarders and the remaining 53 are non-boarders.
“Currently, aside from the 50 pupils that escaped and have returned home, we have 141 pupils who were not carried away.
“As it stands now, we have 236 pupils, another 3 children who belong to our staff, 14 Secondary students, making a total of 253 children, including 12 members of staff with the abductors.”
Yohanna called for continued calm and support as efforts to secure the release of the remaining abducted students intensify.
“We urge everyone to remain calm and prayerful as we collaborate with security agencies, community leaders, and government authorities to ensure the safe and swift return of all abductees,” he added.
