A wave of shock has swept through Niger State following an overnight attack on St. Mary’s School, a Catholic learning institution located in Papiri community, Agwara Local Government Area, where terrorists abducted an unspecified number of students and staff.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Friday, between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m., when armed attackers stormed the school premises.
Although full details are still emerging, multiple sources confirmed to newsmen that several students were taken during the raid.
Efforts to obtain additional information from security agencies are still ongoing. The Niger State Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said details would be released in due course.
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However, the Head of Disaster and Relief at Agwara Local Government, Ahmed Abdullahi Rofia, confirmed the attack in a telephone conversation, noting that authorities were still conducting verification to ascertain the number of abducted students and staff.
The assault adds to a disturbing pattern of attacks on educational institutions in northern Nigeria. Earlier in the week, 25 students were abducted in Maga, Kebbi State, while more than 50 schools were shut down in Kwara State on Thursday due to heightened bandit attacks.
The escalating insecurity has prompted President Bola Tinubu to cancel scheduled trips to South Africa and Angola in order to coordinate national response efforts.