The presidency on Sunday confirmed that the remaining students and teachers abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, have regained their freedom.
Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga confirmed the development in a post on his verified X handle @aonanuga1956 that 130 pupils have regained their freedom with a picture of some pupils in a vehicle.
“The remaining 130 schoolchildren abducted by terrorists at St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, on November 21, have now been released. They are expected to arrive in Minna on Monday and rejoin their parents for the Christmas celebration.
“One hundred were released earlier by the terrorists, taking the total of freed students to 230.
“The freedom of the schoolchildren followed a military-intelligence driven operation,” he wrote on Sunday night.
The latest release accounts for all the remaining victims taken during the 21 November attack on the school.
The victims were abducted after gunmen attacked the boarding school, an incident that triggered widespread outrage and renewed concerns about the safety of schools nationwide.
The attackers reportedly stormed the boarding school on motorcycles at about 2:00 a.m.
They moved systematically from one dormitory to another before marching their captives into nearby forests.
Days later, the Christian Association of Nigeria disclosed that 50 of the children escaped during the raid, while scores of others were taken away.
Following the abduction, the Federal Government imposed a security cordon around border communities.
President Bola Tinubu deployed ground troops and aerial surveillance across parts of Niger, Kebbi and Kwara states to track the kidnappers.
He also cancelled an official trip to oversee rescue efforts, while authorities ordered the temporary closure of schools across Niger State and some federal institutions in high-risk areas.
On December 8, security agencies secured the release of about 100 abductees, leaving an unspecified number in captivity until the latest breakthrough.
The reported release of 130 abductees brings the total number of rescued victims to 230.
