The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora has confirmed the safe rescue and return of all 230 students and staff abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic Schools, Papiri, Niger State, ending a month-long ordeal that began on November 21, 2025.
Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna clarified earlier discrepancies in reported figures, explaining that panic, delayed headcounts, and early escapes led to inflated initial numbers.
The final reconciliation confirmed that all verified abductees have been reunited with their families
The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora has formally announced the safe return of every student and staff member abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic Schools, Papiri, in Niger State. This final confirmation marks the end of a harrowing month-long ordeal that began on November 21, 2025.
In a detailed reconciliation statement, Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, the Bishop of Kontagora and proprietor of the school, verified that 230 persons were rescued and have since been reunited with their families.
Breaking Down the Figures
The Diocese provided a clear breakdown of the rescued individuals to resolve earlier conflicting reports:
Nursery/Primary Pupils: 204
Secondary Students: 14
Staff Members: 12
Total Verified Abductees: 230
Addressing why initial reports suggested over 300 people were missing, Bishop Yohanna explained that the panic following the predawn raid led to significant discrepancies.
“A joint verification exercise by the state government, security agencies and school authorities later revealed that not all parents were present during the exercise… Some pupils fled into nearby bushes and did not immediately return for the first headcount, while some parents were absent during verification.”
The Bishop clarified that of the initial 315 listed as missing:
50 escaped in the first 48 hours.
35 were later found to have never been abducted or had escaped early and gone straight to their homes.
100 were released on December 7.
The final 130 were secured on December 21, bringing the verified total to 230.
The rescue was a coordinated effort involving the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the DSS, the Armed Forces, and the Niger State Government. Bishop Yohanna described the homecoming as the “best Christmas gift” the church could receive.
“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… We are deeply grateful to the Nigerian government, the Niger State government, and all security agencies whose interventions were instrumental in bringing this painful episode to an end.”
The school remains committed to providing counseling and healing support for the affected families as they begin their recovery process.
