The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora has verified that all students and teachers abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic Schools in Papiri, Niger State, have been rescued and returned to their families.
In a statement made on Thursday, the Rev. Bulus Yohanna, of the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora and the owner of St. Mary’s Catholic Private Primary and Secondary School, revealed this.
He stated that a total of 230 people, including 12 staff members, 14 students, and 204 students, were abducted and later freed by the Federal Government, the Niger State Government, and security agencies.
Yohanna stated that all rescued children had been reunited with their families and that no reports had been received indicating that any youngster was still missing.
He said that shortly after the kidnapping on Nov. 21, an early headcount showed that 315 persons were unaccounted for.
He observed that on November 23, 50 of those initially classified as missing escaped and returned to their parents, decreasing the number of unaccounted persons to 265.
“A joint verification exercise by the state government, security agencies, and school authorities later revealed that not all parents were present during the exercise.
“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,” he said.
He stated that 85 of the 315 people reported missing were proven to have fled or were not abducted, bringing the total number of abducted people to 230.
Yohanna admitted that the disparities discovered during the initial headcount were attributable to the chaotic nature of the situation.
He observed that some students escaped into adjacent bushes and did not return for the initial census, while some parents were absent during verification.
Yohanna emphasized that the disparities were not intended to deceive the public but rather a result of the difficulties inherent with a rapidly changing and emotionally charged scenario.
He thanked the government and security services for their assistance, as well as parents, the Christian community, the media, and the general public for their prayers, patience, and support.
He also prayed for the healing and rehabilitation of all afflicted families.
