Bandits Abduct 289 Pupils and Staff From Niger School, Survivor Recounts Ordeal

Bandits attacked St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State in the early hours of November 21, 2025, abducting 289 pupils and staff members, according to reports.

The attack occurred shortly after midnight, taking students and workers by surprise as they slept in their dormitories. A teacher, Mrs. Martha Matthias, described the incident, detailing how cries from students woke her before armed men stormed the compound.

“I was jolted awake by the sound of children crying out for help,” she said. “My husband warned me that the school was under attack, but the cries were relentless.”

Mrs. Matthias said the armed attackers rounded up students and staff after learning that no parents were present. She recounted that the bandits pulled her husband outside, tied his hands, and threatened their infant when the child began crying. “They pointed a gun at her head, threatening to kill her if I didn’t comply,” she said.

She managed to escape with her baby, but her husband was among those taken. Witnesses reported that the attackers arrived in multiple vehicles and motorcycles before ferrying the captives into the surrounding forest.

The community remains in distress as authorities work to gather information and secure the release of the abducted individuals.