More than one week after armed gunmen stormed a Catholic educational institution in Niger State, 265 teachers and students remain unaccounted for, according to the latest official figures released by church authorities.
The Abduction Incident and Initial Count
Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora disclosed during an interview with Channels Television on Friday, November 28, that the mass kidnapping at St. Mary's Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri initially left 315 individuals missing. The initial count included 303 pupils and students along with 12 teaching staff members who disappeared during the attack.
The religious leader, who also serves as chairman of the Niger State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), explained that the diocese has formally submitted the complete list of hostages' names to Niger State Governor Umar Bago to facilitate search and rescue efforts.
Current Missing Persons Breakdown
Bishop Yohanna provided detailed clarification about how the numbers evolved since the tragic incident occurred. "We had 303 pupils and students missing and 12 teachers also not seen," the cleric stated during his television appearance.
"Those that escaped went back home to their villages. When we started having calls of those that reunited with their parents, we were able to get 50 out of the 315, including staff and teachers who could not be accounted for. We deducted that number so we now have 265 as of now, that is the number that is missing."
The current breakdown shows that 253 schoolchildren and 12 teachers remain in captivity with their whereabouts unknown more than seven days after their abduction.
Humanitarian Impact and Security Concerns
The mass kidnapping has created severe trauma within the affected community, with Bishop Yohanna revealing the devastating emotional toll on parents. Two parents have died due to shock following the abduction of their children, highlighting the extreme psychological impact of the incident.
The Catholic bishop made an urgent appeal to both federal and state governments to intensify efforts to secure the safe return of the captives. He specifically called for the deployment of security operatives to protect educational institutions across the North-Central state, emphasizing the vulnerability of schools to such attacks.
This kidnapping represents a disturbing resurgence of mass abductions that have plagued various regions of Nigeria in recent years, particularly targeting educational institutions and their vulnerable populations.
