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, multiple sources confirmed on Sunday.
The development marks the final release of victims from the November 21 attack on the school, bringing to an end a harrowing month-long ordeal that drew national outrage and prompted high-level security intervention.
A security official familiar with the operation told newsmen that the released group comprised all remaining persons taken during the midnight raid. They are currently being transported to Minna, the state capital, for medical evaluation and reunification with their families.
“They are out and will soon be in Minna to receive necessary care and debriefing,” the source said, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter.
While the exact number of persons in this final batch could not be immediately ascertained, they were among scores seized when armed men on motorcycles stormed the boarding school around 2:00 a.m. last month, operating unchallenged for nearly three hours.
At least 50 students escaped during the initial attack. About 100 others were released on December 8, after sustained pressure and rescue efforts coordinated by security agencies.
The Federal Government, in response to the abduction, had tightened security around border communities and deployed ground and aerial surveillance across parts of Niger, Kebbi, and Kwara States.
President Bola Tinubu also cancelled an official trip to personally oversee rescue operations, while schools in high-risk areas across Niger were temporarily shut.
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