Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has assured parents and residents that the state government is working round the clock with security agencies to rescue students and staff abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area.

The abduction occurred on November 21, 2025, when suspected bandits attacked the school, shooting security guards and forcibly taking 265 pupils, students, and staff into the forest.

Governor Bago, speaking at an executive retreat in Minna, described the incident as heartbreaking and condemnable, expressing sympathy for the parents and saying he shares in their anguish.

“As the chief security officer of the state and a parent myself, I feel the pain of every mother and father anxiously waiting for their children to return home. I want to assure you that we are fully committed to the safety of the children and to securing their release,” he said.