The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora has confirmed that all abducted Niger Catholic school pupils and staff members have been safely rescued and reunited with their loved ones.
The official announcement, made on Christmas Day, December 25, 2025, marks the end of a month-long ordeal for the St. Mary’s Catholic School community in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State.
Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, the Bishop of Kontagora and proprietor of the school, issued a statement clarifying the final numbers following a rigorous verification process.
According to the Bishop, a total of 230 individuals, comprising 204 primary school pupils, 14 secondary school students, and 12 staff members, were confirmed as the final group of victims who have now regained their freedom.
Early reports following the November 21 raid suggested that as many as 315 people were missing. However, the Diocese explained that the initial chaos and panic led to discrepancies in the headcount of abducted Niger Catholic school pupils.
He noted that on November 23, 50 of those earlier listed as missing had escaped and returned to their parents, reducing the number of unaccounted persons to 265.
“A joint verification exercise by the state government, security agencies, and school authorities later revealed that not all parents were present during the exercise.
“A second and final verification conducted by the school authorities in collaboration with the Parents-Teachers Association established that an additional 35 persons had either not been abducted or had escaped earlier,” he said.
He added that out of the initial 315 persons reported missing, 85 were confirmed to have either escaped or not been abducted, bringing the verified number of abducted persons to 230.
He acknowledged that discrepancies recorded during the initial headcount were due to the chaotic nature of the incident.
He noted that some pupils fled into nearby bushes and did not immediately return for the first headcount, while some parents were absent during verification.
Yohanna emphasised that the discrepancies were not intended to mislead the public but were the result of challenges associated with a fast-evolving and emotionally charged situation.
He expressed gratitude to the government and security agencies for their intervention, as well as to parents, the Christian community, the media, and the public for their prayers, patience, and support.
He also prayed for healing and restoration for all affected families of the abducted Niger Catholic school pupils.
